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Former India captain and legendary batter, Sunil Gavaskar urged Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma to leave the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League after the franchise lost its fourth match of the season. Gavaskar reckons that the 'Hitman' looks out of sorts and he needs to rejuvenate and come back fresh for the World Test Championship (WTC) final which is scheduled to be played after the conclusion of the cash-rich tournament.
"Rohit Sharma should take a break and keep himself fresh for the World Test Championship. Come back again for the last few matches, but right now take a breather himself. He is looking slightly preoccupied, maybe he is thinking about the WTC. I think he needs a little bit of a break," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
Rohit's struggle with the bat in IPL has been well documented. This season, the stylish right-handed batter has scored 181 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 135.07 and is averaging 25.86. While Rohit usually likes to capitalise during field restrictions, his numbers in powerplay overs of IPL 2023 are below par. He has played 50 dot balls in the first six overs of the innings this season, which is the third worst among all players.
Not only this season but Rohit's numbers with the bat in the last five-six seasons have been a genuine cause of concern for MI. Since 2017, Rohit has scored 400+ runs only once in the cash-rich tournament.
Meanwhile, lack of firepower at the top continued to haunt MI as they lost to defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) by a massive margin of 55 runs at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on April 25 (Tuesday). After a slow start, MI failed to make a comeback as Afghanistan's spin-bowling duo of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad did not let them get back on track. As a result, Rohit Sharma's men sustained their fourth defeat of the season while Hardik Pandya's men secured their fifth victory of the ongoing campaign.
Gavaskar came down hard on the Mumbai-based franchise after their latest defeat and affirmed that only a miracle can revive MI's season. The cricketer-turned-pundit also criticised the bowlers for making the same mistakes again and again.
"Only a miracle can take Mumbai Indians to the playoffs this season. They will have to play some extra-ordinary cricket to qualify to the final four," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
"When the bowlers are making the same mistakes, you have to say thank you very much, take a breather and come back after a few games. Do your study, and figure out where you bowled wrong," Gavaskar concluded.
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