Mahela Jayawardene refused to listen to Rohit Sharma, told 'keep ego aside': 'If he had his way, MI would've lost again'
Harbhajan Singh lauded Rohit Sharma for making the proper tactical move from the dugout, revealing how coach Mahela Jayawardene had different ideas.
Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians came from behind to stun Delhi Capitals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Delhi Capitals' batter Karun Nair was going strong and looked set to take the Axar Patel's side over the line. However, his dismissal by Mitchell Santner paved the way for a comeback. Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has now lauded Rohit Sharma for making the decisive tactical move in the match, which led to the five-time champions winning the contest by 12 runs.
For the uninitiated, Rohit Sharma played a masterstroke from the dugout. In the 14th over, the India Test and ODI captain signalled to Karn from the dugout, asking him to opt for a change in the ball. As per the new rules introduced by the BCCI, teams can ask for a ball change in the second innings after the 10th over to negate the impact of the dew.
Mumbai got the ball changed, which led to Karn taking Tristan Stubbs's wicket. An over later, the spinner got the better of KL Rahul, and the Mumbai Indians didn't look back. Vipraj Nigam and Ashutosh Sharma tried to take Delhi over the line, but it was not to be, as the hosts suffered three consecutive run-outs in the penultimate over of the contest.
Harbhajan Singh claimed that Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene was not on board with Rohit Sharma's ploy to ask for a ball change and employ spinners towards the latter phase of Delhi's innings.
"Rohit Sharma played the masterstroke. He asked the head coach, Mahela Jayawardene, to employ spinners and bring Karn Sharma into the attack. Mahela Jayawardene refused to listen to Rohit and wasn't on board with the decision. If they had gone with what Jayawardene had to say, the Mumbai Indians would have also lost this game. Rohit Sharma was there, he had the best move. He is the captain. He always thinks like a captain. A captain is always the captain, and his tactical acumen helped Mumbai win," said Harbhajan on his YouTube channel.
"Karn Sharma came into the attack and took three wickets, turning the game's tide. It was a gold move. This wouldn't have happened when Tilak Varma retired against Lucknow and Mitchell Santner was sent in if Rohit Sharma had been in the dugout. Mahela Jayawardene made a bad move. Rohit was incredible against Delhi Capitals. Sometimes, the coaches must keep their egos aside and consider how the team can benefit. I hope Rohit Sharma keeps sharing his inputs from the dugout," he added.
'The match was incredible'
Harbhajan labelled the fixture between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals "incredible", saying everyone must have enjoyed such a contest. Earlier, Delhi Capitals won the toss and opted to bowl first. Tilak Varma scored a fifty, while Naman Dhir played a useful cameo to help Mumbai Indians post more than 200 runs on the board.
"The match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals was incredible. Everyone got their money's worth. Mumbai Indians controlled their nerves and defended the 205-run total," said Harbhajan.
"This win will give them confidence and self-belief. This is a big win. Karun Nair was going strong as he was going after the bowlers. No one could stop him, and like wildfire, he kept on spreading," he added.
Rohit Sharma failed to get going with the bat as he scored just 18 runs. The right-hander has failed to get going in the ongoing 18th season of the IPL, and this score against Delhi Capitals was his highest in the IPL 2025 edition.
