The Mumbai Indians are currently going through very difficult times in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. They recorded a very disappointing result and are mired in the worst start in IPL history. The 5 times IPL champion, made the worst history this season with eight consecutive defeats against the Lucknow Super Giants at Wankhede Stadium.
This unpleasant condition is of course a burden for the Indians captain. As the leader of the Mumbai team, he is considered to have failed and has not been able to bring his team through to the play-offs. Based on the matches they have played so far, Sharma just recorded 114 runs in 7 hits at a rate of 16.29.
The 34-year-old cricketer's inability to achieve the targets has shown how his leadership style on the pitch is. It also seems to have an effect on his batting during the match. Previously, Mumbai had lost to Lucknow and as captain, Sharma wanted the Indians not to make the same mistake.
Seeing this condition, former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden believes that Sharma could actually have done better on the pitch if he had been more relaxed. According to him, the easiest way for Sharma to turn this around is to give MI a promising game at the start without worrying about the result in the end.
World-class player
Hayden says Sharma is a world-class player and in fact, his skill to play cricket is unquestionable.”He can't be overly worried about his side being 7-0. He needs to get out there and be Rohit Sharma, the batsman first before he thinks about what he needs to be as Rohit Sharma, the leader of the most successful franchise," Hayden told Star Sports.
Moreover, the Australian cricket legend admits that it is certainly not easy for Sharma to achieve stability between the two sides. Both from his responsibilities as a team leader and as a player who is required to score as much as possible.
"There will be enormous expectations. When you are that high, you have a long way to come down. That's where he is at, unfortunately. But he is a champion. He is a massive part of that Indian cricket team set-up both now and in the future. And he can respond simply by getting his side off to a better start. The only way to do that is to be able to relax," he added.
Underwhelming performance
So far, Sharma has not scored fifty in IPL 2022. Previously, the Mumbai-based team also suffered a lot of defeats without managing to record a single win this season. However, the 50-year-old legend thought Sharma's performance was not optimal due to tension so he could not bring out his best game.
"That's an oxymoron in many ways, because you're tensed that you are not winning, but then you know your own personal performance has to be there. If he can manage a way just to be able to settle back into his hometown and take this game away, I am sure Mumbai Indians will be in a better position," said Hayden.
As previously known, Sharma had previously suffered a hamstring injury which prevented him from playing cricket for a while. And because of the injury, he missed several IPL matches in 2020.
