Mumbai Indians former skipper Rohit Sharma's struggles against left-arm fast bowlers continued on April 1 during their IPL 2024 clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Wankhede Stadium. Rohit's weakness was exposed once again as Trent Boult dismissed him for a golden duck. Credit for the wicket goes to both Boult and Royals captain Sanju Samson. After electing to bowl first, Samson's decision quickly paid off. Boult began with three consecutive dot balls before Ishan Kishan took a single. This brought Rohit Sharma on strike, and unfortunately for Mumbai, his stay at the crease was short-lived.
Facing the first ball of his innings, Rohit received a short, away-swinging delivery from Boult. He played a tentative push, resulting in a faint edge that Sanju Samson, diving brilliantly to his right, snaffled with one hand behind the stumps. This dismissal left Mumbai in an early spot of bother.
Watch Sanju Samson's incredible catch to dismiss Rohit Sharma
Mumbai Indians' monumental batting collapse
Mumbai Indians' batting woes continued in their IPL match against Rajasthan Royals. After a promising start with a 43-run knock against Gujarat Titans, Rohit Sharma's struggles against left-arm pace bowling resurfaced. This time, Trent Boult dismissed him for a golden duck, leaving MI in a precarious position early on. This dismissal marked a continuation of a trend for Rohit. He had previously scored a modest 26 against Sunrisers Hyderabad before being dismissed by Boult again. Notably, this is Rohit's first season playing as a non-captain for Mumbai Indians since 2013. While his reputation as a batsman precedes him, he hasn't quite lived up to it in recent IPL seasons.
Meanwhile, Boult capitalized on his early success. He followed up Rohit's wicket by dismissing Naman Dhir for another golden duck, reducing MI to a precarious 1 for 2 after the first over. Boult's dominance continued in his second over, dismissing Dewald Brevis for a duck as well. With three wickets down for just 14 runs, RR broke MI's back. MI's trouble mounted when Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Piyush Chawla and Tilak Varma followed suit and in quick succession returned to the hut to leave the five-time champions in a precarious position of 95/7.
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