Former Mumbai Indians (MI) pace bowler Akash Madhwal shared how then-captain Rohit Sharma motivated him to complete his five-wicket haul during the IPL 2023 Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as well. After posting 182, MI secured an 81-run victory, with Madhwal registering exceptional figures of 5/5 in 3.3 overs.

During a conversation with Sports Tak on Wednesday, September 9, he said: “I knew I would get my five-wicket haul because Bhaiya (Rohit Sharma) was pressuring me, saying, ‘Akash, you have to get the fifth one,’ as I had already taken four. So, Bhaiya brought me on for the fourth over and told me, ‘Akash, bowl and take the wicket.’ If you watch that over, my fourth over, Mohsin Khan was batting, and I was bowling over the wicket. After I bowled two balls from over the wicket, Bhaiya came over and said, ‘No, Akash, bowl round the wicket.’ Then I bowled the third ball from round the wicket, and I got the wicket.”

“So, in a way, Bhaiya played a huge role in that figure, but even then, I didn’t know I had taken five for five. I knew I had taken five, but I didn’t know I had taken them for five runs. When everything was finished, we went back to the dressing room, and Ishan told me, ‘Akash, it’s a record that you took five wickets for five runs.’ That’s when I found out I had set a record by taking five wickets for five runs,” he again shared.

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However, Akash Madhwal applauded Rohit Sharma’s captaincy as world-class and recalled how he carefully managed his introduction during his debut season as well.

“Bhaiya’s captaincy is world-class. I don’t know if it’s the calmness or just what comes after playing so much cricket, but the way Bhaiya reads the game is exceptional. Like, if you look at when he first put me in the playing XI, he didn’t give me the new ball at all. He didn’t give it to me for three whole matches. After three matches, when I got comfortable, and because Bhaiya knew my strength was Yorkers, he used to save me for the death overs,” he added.

“So, once he got me into the game, made me feel comfortable and at ease, only then did he start giving me the new ball in the fourth game. As a captain, I rate him very highly because when he introduced me on such a big platform, he introduced me based on my strength, knowing I would do well in the death overs,” he concluded.