Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has said that Mumbai Indians (MI) opener Rohit Sharma needs to be back among the runs in his side’s IPL 2024 clash against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Mumbai on Monday, May 6. With six points from 11 games, MI are at the last on the points table and they are virtually knocked out of the tournament as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “I am first focusing on Rohit Sharma because in the last four games – Rajasthan, Delhi, Lucknow and the last game here vs KKR – I think his highest score is probably 11. This does not go well. He had a good start to the tournament, 300-325 runs were scored, struck a century as well at this ground but after that, he has just fallen off the radar. You don’t want that.”

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“He has got out many times against left-arm seamers and here also you will get one in T Natarajan and possibly Jaydev Unadkat as well. So I am a little worried from an Indian point of view, not the Mumbai Indians’ point of view as much. I want the Indian team’s T20 captain to score runs,” the former India opener further added.

However, he has scored only 29 runs in his last four innings in IPL 2024. Although he had an extended net session before MI’s previous game against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he got out for a 12-ball 11.

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“At No. 2, will Hardik Pandya come to bat, that remains a big question. He keeps pushing himself down the order and that does not go well. I don’t like it personally. These battles need to be won from the front. You will have to come to bat slightly up the order and show your batting ability,” Aakash Chopra concluded. “I am going with Jasprit Bumrah for a very simple reason. The last time these two teams met, 277 were scored, and he probably gave only 25-30 in his four overs. Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Reddy – you need Jasprit Bumrah to stop this powerhouse.”