'Rohit hasn't really got out of blocks': Moody's explosive 'trying to boss' statement on MI skipper after GT vs MI tie

Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians were outplayed by reigning champions Gujarat Titans in match No.35 of the IPL 2023 on Wednesday.

Rohit Sharma failed to fire for Mumbai Indians (MI) as the record-time winners were outplayed by reigning champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 on Wednesday. The veteran Indian skipper was dismissed by his Team India teammate Hardik Pandya, who won the battle of the captains by getting the better of his IPL counterpart in match No.35 of the IPL 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the IPL 2023 cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians(PTI)

Though Rohit has shown his intent with the bat, the MI skipper has struggled to cash in on his starts in the IPL 2023. The 35-year-old has only smashed a single half-century in the 16th edition of the cash-rich league. With Rohit capping off another forgetful outing for the Mumbai Paltan, former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) head coach Tom Moody presented his honest assessment of the batting form of the MI captain.

"At the moment, it is nearly like he [Rohit Sharma] has teased this with a couple of performances where you think, 'Okay, here it comes', and you are waiting for those floodgates to open. But that's all we have seen. We have just seen a couple of little teases. He hasn't really got out of the blocks. He is showing the intent, which has been important. That's been the one thing this year is that he's come out trying to boss it and control it from up front," Moody told ESPNcricinfo.

While Rohit was dismissed for cheap, his partner-in-crime Ishan Kishan played a patient knock of 13 off 21 balls in the high-scoring contest between Mumbai and Gujarat. Nehal Wadhera (40) and Cameron Green (33) lifted Mumbai Indians to only 152-9 as the former champions lost the match by 55 runs. "When there is movement in the air or off the seam, both those players look vulnerable. I think you can say that across the whole of world cricket. The game has changed quite a lot and I think T20 has had something to do with that with regards to technique and the way the batters play. As soon as we see swing or seam, we see even the best batters struggle. It's because in a T20 game, you have to have your hands in a different position and need to be set in a different position to seek power," the ex-Australian cricketer added.