Not Once But Twice, How 'Leader' Rohit Sharma Came To 'Captain' Hardik Pandya's Aid vs DC
Rohit Sharma, despite being substituted in the second half of the match against Delhi Capitals, continued to provide tactical insights from the bench.
The Mumbai Indians returned to winning ways with a thrilling victory against the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Sunday. Spinners Karn Sharma and Mitchell Santner grabbed the spotlight after batters took MI's total to 205/5 while batting first. If it wasn't for Santner and Karn's heroics, Delhi Capitals would've ridden on Karun Nair's brilliant 89-run knock to seal a convincing victory. However, the bowling changes reaped the desired rewards, thanks to former MI captain Rohit Sharma's tactical intervention.
One such intervention from Rohit came ahead of the 14th over of the second innings as the Mumbai Indians convinced the on-field umpire to change the wet ball. This is when Rohit, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, and head coach Mahela Jayawardene were seen in intense discussion over the use of a spinner with the new ball. A direction to use a spinner with the new ball came to Hardik, and the MI skipper obliged.
Hardik brought Karn Sharma back into the attack. What happened next made the entire MI camp erupt with joy. The leg-spinner dismissed the dangerous Tristan Stubbs. Mhambrey was spotted patting Rohit as a gesture of acknowledgement for his tactical suggestion.
Rohit Sharma the greatest ever Captain and leader in cricket history pic.twitter.com/kApoCeoxlS
— ANKIT UPADHYAY (@I_AM_BRAHMAN_45) April 14, 2025
That isn't all. Rohit also intervened ahead of the 16th over, urging skipper Hardik to make the spinner bowl his entire quota of 4 overs despite Trent Boult being left with three overs to bowl in the game while Jasprit Bumrah had one left.
After Rohit's request, Hardik brought Karn back, and he rewarded the team with the big wicket of KL Rahul. This is when the game truly turned in Mumbai's favour.
Since the conclusion of the match, a debate over the importance of Rohit Sharma's tactical mindset to Mumbai Indians' current setup has kept fans busy. The Hitman has received plenty of plaudits for his timely interventions despite being a substitute for the most part of the second half of the game.
However, there are those too that feel primary skipper Hardik Pandya and spinner Karn Sharma should get more credit for the table-turning moments in the game.
Delhi Capitals
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma
Hardik Pandya
Karn Sharma