Sehwag criticized Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav for their dismissals, underlining the importance of respecting good deliveries regardless of the player’s stature.
Former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma is going through a rough patch in the ongoing IPL, failing to make significant contributions with the bat. In the recent match against Kolkata Knight Riders, Rohit managed only 19 runs off 24 balls before getting out while attempting a sweep shot against Varun Chakaravarthy. Shortly after, star batter Suryakumar Yadav fell for 11 off 14 balls, attempting to play a delivery from Andre Russell. Their dismissals proved costly as MI suffered an 18-run defeat, marking their ninth loss in 13 matches of the disappointing campaign.
While Surya boasts a stellar average of over 38 and a staggering strike rate of nearly 170 this season, Rohit’s struggle persists with a measly average of 29.08 and a strike rate of 145.41 across 13 games.
Former cricketer Virender Sehwag unleashed scathing criticism on Rohit and Suryakumar, slamming their dismissals as a display of disrespect for quality deliveries. In a fiery post-game rant to Cricbuzz, he blasted the duo for their lack of batting maturity, insisting they should have played out the tough bowlers instead of throwing their wickets away.
“Whoever bowls good, just play him out. If two wickets hadn’t fallen, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav could’ve finished the match an over before. Vaibhav Arora, Mitchell Starc, Andre Russell and Harshit Rana had to ball anyway; if they played out the spinners and didn’t lose the wickets, they would’ve won the game,” Sehwag said.
“You can’t have an ego when you come out to bat. You play them out or punish the loose deliveries. Naman Dhir came right at the end and smashed two sixes and a four; if Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were set at that time, they would’ve hit 5 balls for boundaries,” he added.
Sehwag’s frustration boiled over as he demanded basic respect for quality deliveries, regardless of the batter’s reputation. He highlighted Rohit’s departure on a challenging delivery, stressing that even star players must exercise restraint.
“You could be Rohit Sharma or Suryakumar Yadav, but at least respect the delivery if you can’t respect the bowler. The ball on which Rohit Sharma got out wasn’t a weak ball. No doubt Rohit and Suryakumar are great players, but that doesn’t mean you should hit the good deliveries, too,” the former opener added.
READ ALSO | Batting Failure: Hardik Pandya Expresses Disappointment After MI’s Loss Against KKR
In a contrasting narrative, Kolkata Knight Riders’ win over Mumbai Indians has secured their playoff berth, making them the inaugural team to do so this season.
Last Updated on May 12, 2024
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