Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag has criticized Mumbai Indians’ (MI) batting duo Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav for their slow starts and subsequent dismissals in the IPL 2024 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
In a rain-affected encounter reduced to 16 overs, MI chased a target of 158. While Ishan Kishan provided a solid start with 40 off 22 balls, Rohit and Suryakumar struggled to get going. Rohit scored 19 off 24 deliveries, while Suryakumar managed only 11 off 14.
Sehwag believes that the duo’s inability to accelerate their innings cost MI the match. “Whoever bowls good, just play him out. If two wickets hadn’t fallen, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav could’ve finished the match an over before,” he said on Cricbuzz.
He emphasized the importance of respecting the bowlers and playing out their good deliveries. “You can’t have an ego when you come out to bat. You play them out or punish the loose deliveries,” Sehwag added.
Sehwag also pointed out that Rohit and Suryakumar’s dismissals came on good deliveries. “The ball on which Rohit Sharma got out wasn’t a weak ball. No doubt Rohit and Suryakumar are great players, but that doesn’t mean you should hit the good deliveries, too,” he said.
KKR’s bowlers, led by Venkatesh Iyer, restricted MI to 142/9, securing a 15-run victory. Sehwag believes that if Rohit and Suryakumar had been set, they could have easily chased down the target.
“If Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were set at that time, they would’ve hit 5 balls for boundaries. You could be Rohit Sharma or Suryakumar Yadav, but at least respect the delivery if you can’t respect the bowler,” he concluded.
