IPL 2023: 'Not happy with Rohit's batting' — Virender Sehwag slams Rohit Sharma's inability to show patience while batting

Former India batter Virender Sehwag is not happy with Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma and believes that the opener does not need to use force in his shots. The five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winning captain has been underwhelming with the bat this season despite MI beating the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2023 Eliminator.

Sharing his thoughts with Cricbuzz, Sehwag added that the India captain has to bat with patience while building his innings. Rohit has scored 324 runs in 15 matches in IPL 2023, averaging 21.60 with a strike rate of 133.33. Against LSG, he hit just 11 runs off 10 balls as MI posted 182 for 8 in the first innings.

"I am not happy with Rohit's batting. He is not a player who needs to force his shots. You already had 30 runs on the board from three overs. He needs to show patience and build his innings as he would get loose deliveries too on which he can capitalize. That knock of 65 (in Delhi) was good because he showed patience," said Sehwag.

However, former India spinner Murali Karthik was pleased with the captaincy of Rohit, especially with the way he led MI to Qualifier 2 with a weakened bowling attack. MI secured an 81-run victory over LSG as they turned around their poor start to the season to reach the second Qualifier where they will face defending champions Gujarat Titans.

"You can't fault Rohit's captaincy. Yes, there will always be an odd decision that won't work because they back their gut feel. However, to manage such a weakened bowling attack really well, credit to him to take them to Qualifier 2," said Karthik.

After their win over LSG, MI will now look ahead to facing defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) as the two sides prepare to clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2023 on May 26, with a chance to face four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final of the competition at the same venue on Sunday, May 28.