Relief from Indian captaincy lifted Rohit Sharma's batting: Gavaskar after MI beat LSG
IPL 2026: Sunil Gavaskar said Rohit Sharma's batting has grown since the captaincy burden was lifted. The remark came after Rohit's 84 off 44 led Mumbai Indians past Lucknow Super Giants.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes that Rohit Sharma’s batting has been elevated following Ajit Agarkar-led selection management’s decision to relieve Sharma of the captaincy of the Indian national cricket team. On Monday night, May 4, Rohit Sharma played a match-defining 84-run knock off 44 balls to help Mumbai Indians secure a rare win against Lucknow Super Giants in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League.
Gavaskar opined that he has closely watched Sharma’s game improve over the past year as, one by one, the burden of white-ball captaincy for both India and his IPL side was taken away from him. He based this opinion on Sharma’s exploits against Australia during India’s white-ball tour down under, along with his IPL run-scoring.
“I have been watching Rohit Sharma closely over the last year. Ever since he was removed as captain in white-ball cricket and the IPL, he has focused more on his batting,” Gavaskar said on JioStar. “The change in his game is clear: he now wants to bat deeper and leave a bigger impact.”
This comes after Sharma, who was out injured for around four games, instantly delivered for his franchise, who have been struggling at the bottom of the table.
“In this 84-run knock, we saw all the typical Rohit Sharma shots. The pull shot was on display. Short balls disappeared into the stands. Full deliveries were driven through the cover region. He also lofted over long-off with ease,” he added. “Against left-arm spinner M Siddharth, he played down the ground, hitting against the turn. We saw a focused Rohit Sharma against LSG.”
Mumbai Indians still have an outside chance to qualify for the playoffs after securing six points from ten games. “If he continues this form, Mumbai Indians will hurt the playoff hopes of many teams in the remaining matches,” he added.
Whether this disrupts other teams’ playoff hopes or not, with Rohit Sharma back in the lineup and firing, Mumbai Indians have surely regained a sense of direction and belief. They next play Royal Challengers Bengaluru at their new home in Raipur on May 10.
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Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar believes that Rohit Sharma’s batting has been elevated following Ajit Agarkar-led selection management’s decision to relieve Sharma of the captaincy of the Indian national cricket team. On Monday night, May 4, Rohit Sharma played a match-defining 84-run knock off 44 balls to help Mumbai Indians secure a rare win against Lucknow Super Giants in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League.
Gavaskar opined that he has closely watched Sharma’s game improve over the past year as, one by one, the burden of white-ball captaincy for both India and his IPL side was taken away from him. He based this opinion on Sharma’s exploits against Australia during India’s white-ball tour down under, along with his IPL run-scoring.
“I have been watching Rohit Sharma closely over the last year. Ever since he was removed as captain in white-ball cricket and the IPL, he has focused more on his batting,” Gavaskar said on JioStar. “The change in his game is clear: he now wants to bat deeper and leave a bigger impact.”
This comes after Sharma, who was out injured for around four games, instantly delivered for his franchise, who have been struggling at the bottom of the table.
“In this 84-run knock, we saw all the typical Rohit Sharma shots. The pull shot was on display. Short balls disappeared into the stands. Full deliveries were driven through the cover region. He also lofted over long-off with ease,” he added. “Against left-arm spinner M Siddharth, he played down the ground, hitting against the turn. We saw a focused Rohit Sharma against LSG.”
Mumbai Indians still have an outside chance to qualify for the playoffs after securing six points from ten games. “If he continues this form, Mumbai Indians will hurt the playoff hopes of many teams in the remaining matches,” he added.
Whether this disrupts other teams’ playoff hopes or not, with Rohit Sharma back in the lineup and firing, Mumbai Indians have surely regained a sense of direction and belief. They next play Royal Challengers Bengaluru at their new home in Raipur on May 10.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
