Five-time champions Mumbai Indians suffered a crushing defeat in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday, taking on holders Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Chasing a big target of 208, the Rohit Sharma-led side were limited to a total of 152/9 in 20 overs with Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad (3/37) and Rashid Khan (2/27) taking five wickets between shared them to lead GT’s cargo. Following the collapse of MI’s top order, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has suggested star batsman Rohit should take a break.
Rohit was sacked at 2 (8) by his counterpart Hardik during the defeat of MI on Tuesday. Gavaskar suggested that Rohit should focus more on the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final, adding that the MI skipper “looks a bit preoccupied”.
“I’d like to see some change in the batting order [for Mumbai Indians]. In fairness, I would also say that Rohit should perhaps also take a break for now and keep himself fit for the World Test Championship [final]. [He can] come back for the last few games, but now, [he should] take a bit of a breather yourself,” Sunil Gavaskar said while speaking to Star Sports as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“He just looks a little worried. Maybe he’s thinking about the WTC right now [final]”I don’t know,” said Gavaskar. “But I believe he needs a little break at this stage and come back for the last three or four games so he’s in the rhythm for the World Test Championship. [final].”
Notably, former India captain Virat Kohli had taken a break from cricket last year, following a thin spot with the bat.
Kohli talked about mental health and what went wrong then.
“I definitely feel light. It wasn’t just about the workload of cricket, there were other things that contributed to me moving into that space,” Kohli told Star Sports last year.
“I learned a lot during this time. I looked at things from one lens, you play with passion, you play with a lot of heart, but the perception outside may not be the same and people may not understand the value of that.” good,” he added.
India announced their squad for the WTC final against Australia on Tuesday, with former captain Ajinkya Rahane recalled to the side following his exploits in the IPL for Chennai Super Kings this season.
A veteran of 82 Test matches, Rahane last played for India in the longest form of the game last January. He has since been ineligible for selection due to poor form.
India squad for WTC final against Australia: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd . Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat.
The India-Australia summit will take place from June 7 to June 11 at the Oval in London.
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