Suffering a stiff back, India skipper Rohit Sharma did not take the field at the beginning of Day 3 in the fifth and final Test of the England series. Smashing two centuries against Ben Stokes' men, Rohit amassed 400 runs in the five-match series between India and England. Under Rohit's leadership, India hammered England 4-1 to become the new No.1 side in the longest format. India's all-format captain will warm up for the T20 World Cup in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024).
Already confirmed to lead India in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Rohit will be taking up the role of a pure batter at the Mumbai Indians (MI) camp. Rohit was replaced by all-rounder Hardik Pandya as the leader of the Mumbai Paltan for IPL 2024. Rohit's former deputy at Team India, white-ball maverick Pandya, rejoined Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans following an all-cash deal. After securing a sensational Hardik deal, Mumbai confirmed the all-rounder as the successor of Rohit for the new season.
‘Team India needs Rohit Sharma’: Harbhajan Singh
Speaking to Star Sports ahead of IPL 2024, legendary Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh opined that the former MI skipper will have to lead the batting charge of the Mumbai franchise next season. The former MI skipper also highlighted Rohit's six-hitting prowess. "Rohit Sharma is selfless, puts the team ahead of his personal ambitions. Team India needs Rohit Sharma, the captain and the batter, to lead the team from the front. Rohit Sharma, the batter, needs to come good for Mumbai Indians, he needs to score those runs for them. Rohit is not a player who will play attacking shots in the first six overs, he has the ability to hit six at any moment of the match," Harbhajan said.
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{{/usCountry}}Speaking to Star Sports ahead of IPL 2024, legendary Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh opined that the former MI skipper will have to lead the batting charge of the Mumbai franchise next season. The former MI skipper also highlighted Rohit's six-hitting prowess. "Rohit Sharma is selfless, puts the team ahead of his personal ambitions. Team India needs Rohit Sharma, the captain and the batter, to lead the team from the front. Rohit Sharma, the batter, needs to come good for Mumbai Indians, he needs to score those runs for them. Rohit is not a player who will play attacking shots in the first six overs, he has the ability to hit six at any moment of the match," Harbhajan said.
Did you know?
{{/usCountry}}Rohit is only behind legendary West Indies batter Chris Gayle in the list of most sixes at IPL. Gayle has fired 357 sixes in 142 games. Former MI skipper Rohit has smoked 257 sixes in 243 IPL games. Earlier, Rohit shattered MS Dhoni's record for most sixes by an Indian in Test cricket. Rohit surpassed Dhoni's tally of 78 sixes in the 3rd Test against England.