Mumbai Indians (MI) superstar Rohit Sharma has lavished rich praise on his new opening partner Ryan Rickelton, saying that the South Africa National Cricket Team batsman works really hard on his game.
Rohit Sharma also talked about his knock in the 50th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Also Read: IPL Points Table, Orange Cap, Purple Cap After RR vs MI Match 50 – IPL 2025
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It was important to get off to a good start – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma displayed a batting masterclass in the match against RR after his lucky escape in the second over of the innings, which was bowled by Fazalhaq Farooqi.
A different version of Rohit was seen in the match as he didn’t play ultra-aggressive cricket and only looked to punish the bad balls from time to time.
He finished his innings with a score of 53 runs in 36 balls, with 9 fours and, surprisingly, no sixes. Rohit, who is one of the greatest six-hitters of all time, not hitting a six during his long stay in the middle came as a major surprise to everyone.
It was only the third time that Rohit Sharma scored a T20 fifty without a six in his career, and it’s the first such instance in six years.
Speaking to broadcasters during the mid-innings break, Rohit Sharma highlighted the importance of getting off to good starts. Rohit said:
“It was important to get off to a good start. Looking at a couple of overs, the ball was coming on nicely and we took our chances. Wanted to hit straight as much as possible. It was kind of skidding, we thought that hitting in a straight direction was a good option.
Took my chance and it paid off – Rohit Sharma
While talking about the DRS he took in the second over, Rohit said that he just took his chance and it paid off. He stated:
“(On his review) The only thing I was worried about was if it was pitching in line or not, it was a knuckle ball so knew it wouldn’t bounce over. Took my chance and it paid off.”
Rohit further praised Ryan Rickelton and said that he understands his game very well and targets bowlers nicely. He asserted:
“(Rickelton) Works really hard on his game and understands his game very well. Understands which bowler to target and picks his spot well. If he continues to bat like that, it augurs very well for us. Nice for us to get off to that start.”
It’s very important for us to understand the pitch – Rohit Sharma
At last, Rohit said that they have got many experienced as well as smart players in the camp, who know what to do at what moment. He elaborated:
“It’s very important for us to understand the pitch and use the variations. We shouldn’t be predictable and use the longer side well. The guys are pretty experienced in what they do and understand what is expected of them.
“It’s a good score and we can hopefully defend it. If we get a couple of wickets in the powerplay we can put the brakes on them. If you look at our batting line-up, lot of these guys haven’t batted for a few games. Gives us the confidence to go out there and bat freely. Most often it comes off knowing that we’ve got a strong middle order. Even in the last game, those 30-40 runs by Bosch made a difference.”
