IPL 2023: Rohit Sharma Urged To Leave Opening, Bat At This Position For Mumbai Indians By Anil Kumble
Rohit Sharma is one of the finest opening batters of his generation but Anil Kumble wants him to bat in the middle-order in IPL 2023 season.
One of the finest batters in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history, Rohit Sharma has done wonders while leading the Mumbai Indians in the T20 league history. However, the opening batter could do little with the bat last season as Mumbai finished bottom in the 10-team tournament. Going into the IPL 2023 season, former India spinner Anil Kumble has urged the right-handed batter not open anymore, and instead, take up the No. 4 postion in the middle-order for the franchise.
Mumbai Indians have some fine batters who can be really explosive at the top. The likes of Ishan Kishan and Cameron Green have been used to opening the batting. Even players like Dewald Brevis and Suryakumar Yadav can take up the role if Rohit decides to come down in the middle.
"He was not afraid to say what he had to say. He had plenty of experience around him and he reached out to them as well but then but took his own decisions. That's what you want from a captain," he said on JioCinema's Insiders Preview.
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"2017 was a new team and the kind of captaincy we saw from him in terms of defending low scores, that's when your true leadership comes out."
Kumble was firm in his belief that Rohit should come down at the No. 4 spot to help the batting unit handle pressure better.
"Especially with the current MI team, you need that experience in the middle order. There are some wonderful batters that MI possess, but I think someone like Rohit Sharma in the middle, controlling seven to fifteen overs is extremely critical," he said.
"The captain's role is of utmost importance, the way he is thinking and taking decisions in crucial stages in a cool manner and the right decisions, and if it doesn't go your way, how he is handling the situation," he added.
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma