Former Indian batter Manoj Tiwary questioned Mumbai Indians’ think tank to use Rohit Sharma as an impact player in IPL 2025. Rohit was replaced by leg-spinner Karn Sharma during the 29th match of the tournament, which MI won by 12 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Sunday.
Rohit once again could not deliver with the bat as he was plumbed in front by Vipraj Nigam while trying to play the sweep shot after scoring only 18 runs. However, Tiwary reckons MI could use Rohit Sharma’s nous on the field as a leader but they are not doing that as they are subbing him for an extra bowler.
Rohit has all the leadership experience under his belt and led MI to five titles during his captaincy stint. Tiwary reckons MI can take out either Naman Dhir or Tilak Varma for an impact player.
“How can you bring on a player like Rohit Sharma as an impact sub? Can Hardik Pandya not make any errors on the field, can he not err while making an on-field decision? You need an experienced leader to help him, right? Like Rohit Sharma. MI have two players who are only used as batters, Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma. You mean to say they have more captaincy experience than Rohit?” Manoj Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.
On the other hand, Karn Sharma was able to deliver as an impact player, returning with match-winning figures of 3-36 in his quota of four overs. Thus, the leg-spinner was awarded Player of the Match and it was only Rohit’s suggestion to bring him on.
Sharma said after the win, “Feels very good that my hard work has paid off. Whenever I get a chance, I want to do my best. It’s a big tournament, only 12 can play. I just focus on my process, rest is not in my hands. KL Rahul’s wicket was my favourite. That catch was very important at that stage of the game. I pray a lot that I do well when I get a chance and that the teams win. There was no dew in the first innings, changing the ball meant that we got some more grip. That was good.”
Mumbai Indians will next take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday.
