Ahmedabad, March 30 – Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that Rohit Sharma is going through a challenging phase in his career and now needs to push himself harder every day to regain form. Rohit’s poor run in IPL 2025 continued on Saturday as he managed to score only eight runs against Gujarat Titans. In his opening match of the season against Chennai Super Kings, he was dismissed for a duck in just four balls.
Speaking to JioStar, Manjrekar remarked that Rohit is no longer the same cricketer he was three or four years ago. According to him, Rohit has reached a stage in his career where natural talent alone will not be sufficient, and he needs to train with more intensity because things seem to be slipping from his grasp.
Rohit’s struggles are not limited to the IPL. His international performance has also been underwhelming in recent times. In 2024, he managed to score only one half-century in Test cricket with a modest average of 10.93. Even during the Champions Trophy, where he tried to provide India with aggressive starts, his only notable contribution came in the final with a single half-century.
Mumbai Indians, five-time champions, have lost both their opening matches of the season. Captain Hardik Pandya has stressed that the team’s batting unit must find its rhythm quickly and take responsibility. Manjrekar echoed this sentiment, pointing out that the current Mumbai batting line-up lacks stability and conviction. He noted that many of their batsmen rely heavily on pitches where the ball comes nicely onto the bat, and even then, like at Wankhede, they struggle to maintain high run rates of 12 to 13 per over.
Despite these concerns, Manjrekar believes that it is still early in the season and it would be premature to rule out Mumbai Indians. He recalled the 2014 season when the team made a comeback and eventually clinched the title, suggesting that a turnaround is still possible.
