Chennai : Former Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin backed the star batter Rohit Sharma to overcome his run of disappointing Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons and finally deliver a season where he will "really take it on" against bowlers with much better fitness and headspace aiding him.
MI, the five-time champions, will start off their season against three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Mumbai on March 29. Key to their bid of sixth IPL title will be Rohit, who looks fitter than ever heading into the new season. Having retired from T20Is and Tests, this will be his first season as a one-format player. The only thing at this point that can stop Rohit from having a fine run in the IPL is perhaps himself, as he has not had a really good run in the competition over the last few years.
The second-highest run-getter in the league with 7,046 runs in 272 matches with two centuries and 47 centuries at a strike rate of 132.09, Rohit has failed to live up to his tag as a marquee player performance wise in recent years. The last time Rohit had a 450-plus run season was back in 2016, when he made 489 runs in 14 innings with five fifties. His best season came in 2013, when he scored 538 runs in 19 innings, including four fifties. This remains his sole season with 500 runs or more.
After 2016, Rohit has had only three seasons with 400 or more runs. In the past nine seasons, he has made 3,172 runs in 129 innings at an average of 26.00, with just a century and 18 fifties. Last season, he made 418 runs in 15 innings at an average of 29.86 and a strike rate of 149.29, with four fifties and a best score of 81.
Speaking on his Youtube Channel, Ashwin said, "I personally think this is going to be a season where Rohit will really take it on. He does not need to play cricket for the whole season. He is getting enough breaks. His mind is fresh. He is physically in a good space. He looks really fit. And I think this could well be a season where Rohit Sharma is going to bring back his T20 batting in the IPL."
"Let us not forget, Rohit Sharma, the IPL batsman, has not been quite present in the last few years. But this could be a great opportunity for him to really restore that. And I, personally, think he can go on to enjoy his season and do some incredible things for Mumbai Indians this season," he added.
The all-rounder also said that MI not making it to top two this year would be a "huge upset" since they have put together a gun team, consisting of an old title-winning combination of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Quinton de Kock, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult alongside in-form stars like Ryan Rickelton, Will Jacks, Sherfane Rutherford, Naman Dhir, Tilak Varma and Mitchell Santner.
"If Mumbai do not make the top 2 this year, it will be a huge upset for me. They have put a gun side together. The Mumbai Indians' worst performance will be qualifying in the top four. The best performance will be qualifying in the top two. Actually, I will rate the best performance if they come first, not even top two," he said.
Ashwin said that MI could be facing some tough competition from defending champions RCB, but they have it in them to finish in the top two in the points table this year.
"If the Mumbai Indians are not there in the top two, it means they have chosen bad combinations, or they have complicated it for themselves, or some other teams have played splendid cricket," Ashwin concluded.