MI vs RCBRohit Sharma's struggle with the bat is mental, not technical, says Virender Sehwag

By India Today Sports DeskFormer India opener Virender Sehwag believes Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma is suffering from a “mental block” and that there is no technical problem with his batting.

Rohit has struggled for runs in IPL 2023, scoring only 184 runs at 18.39 with a strike rate of 126.89. He couldn’t even open his account in the last two games. In fact, during the last match against Chennai Super Kings, Rohit recorded his 16th duck, the most in IPL history.

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“Rohit Sharma is not battling with the bowlers but with himself. There is a mental block,” Sehwag said on Star Sports’ Cricket Live.

“There’s no problem with his batting technique. Some confusion is going on in his mind. But the day he gets going, we will make up for all the previous matches.”

Five-time champions MI are in seventh place with 10 points after five losses and five wins. In their previous match, they were defeated by CSK by six wickets after a poor start saw them manage only 139/8, a target easily surpassed by their opponents in 17.4 overs.

Former Australia batter Aaron Finch said the Mumbai openers look confused and should learn from the way CSK’s Ruturaj Gaikwad goes about his business after Cameron Green and Ishan Kishan scored just 6 and 7 respectively in the first innings.

“MI’s opening combination looks confused they are taking a lot of risk. They were looking to hit all the balls. They should learn from Ruturaj Gaikwad, he remains so calm in the middle and hits the loose balls,” Finch said.

As Rohit struggles, Virat Kohli is having a stellar run with the bat, having amassed 419 runs so far in the IPL, though his strike rate has been questioned at times.

Hailing his consistent run over the years, former South African spinner Imran Tahir said, “Virat Kohli has always had the urge to score runs.

“You can score maximum runs in one season, two or three seasons, but if you are successful in doing this for 15 consecutive seasons, then it can be attributed to the result of your hard work and dedication.

“What Virat has done in the last 15 years is really commendable.”