“Doesn’t Score Like Kohli But…”: Kaif Lauds Rohit Sharma

Mohammad Kaif noted that Rohit Sharma has never scored 600 runs in an IPL season, but made a unique praise for him.

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has pointed out that Rohit Sharma has never scored more than 600 runs in a single Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Rohit, who led Mumbai Indians to five titles, had his best batting performance in 2013 with 538 runs. This remains the only time he has crossed the 500-run mark in his IPL career.

Kaif believes that Rohit, after focusing on his fitness, will be determined to deliver a standout performance with the bat in the upcoming IPL season.

“We talk about Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, but Rohit Sharma has not scored 700-800 runs in a season. In the IPL, he gets points for captaincy and experience, but when you compare him with Virat Kohli or some other batter, he doesn’t score 600-700 runs. He scores in one or two matches and becomes the Man of the Match,” Kaif said in his latest YouTube video.

“So, the biggest test for him this time is to cross the 500-run or 600-run mark. Sai Sudharsan scored 750 runs this time. So, Rohit Sharma would also want to score around 600 runs because he has gotten lean and is in good form. He will be very hungry for runs in this IPL,” he added.

Kaif On Bumrah’s Role

Kaif, who won the IPL with Rajasthan Royals, explained the critical importance of Jasprit Bumrah to the Mumbai Indians team. He noted that the five-time champions struggled early in IPL 2025 when Bumrah was unavailable due to injury.

“The biggest test for Mumbai, which was there last season too, was how many matches Bumrah can play. If Jasprit Bumrah is fit to play all matches, it’s a different thing. He was not there for the initial matches, where Mumbai lost a lot. The absence of Bumrah was clearly visible. As soon as he came back, they won six-seven matches in a row. Bumrah is the backbone of Mumbai Indians.”

Kaif also commented on the Rajasthan Royals’ dynamics, suggesting that communication skills influence player preferences. He mentioned that RR co-owner Manoj Badale, based in the UK, primarily speaks English.

“Jaiswal is a little behind, possibly because Manoj Badale is UK-based and mostly speaks in English. Jaiswal’s English is improving, but Parag has very good communication skills. It allows him to have direct conversations with the CEO and the coach. Sangakkara is likely to be their new coach, so if your coach and boss are not from India, they want to find someone with whom they don’t face a problem in communication.”

Last Updated on November 10, 2025