IPL: Rohit Sharma will have to work better with bat, says Saba Karim

Saba Karim on Wednesday said Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma should capitalize on his red-hot international form in the second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL), starting on September 19.

“His most important role in the team is as a batsman… This is a peculiar case. Every time he goes to the IPL he’s in brilliant form in international cricket but fails to convert it during the tournament,” added Karim.

“There’s a need for improvement in his batting. He’s the captain and the Mumbai Indians are winning trophies under him, that’s a different thing. They have a lot of match-winners so his performances don’t get much attention, Saba Karim said during an interview on YouTube channel Khelneeti.

Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians will face Chennai Super Kings on September 19.

“I sometimes feel that a player gets consumed too much into captaincy and it’s possible his focus wavers from batting. If you are a batsman-captain, your first role is to make runs with the bat. Captaincy gets better with the confidence from batting which has happened in Rohit Sharma’s case as well,” said Karim.

“However, when you have been captaining for a long time, the focus, preparation, and temperament you need to have there gets disturbed. You tend to think more as a captain on batting and bowling strategies… It’s very important for a captain to have that clarity when he goes out to bat,” said Karim.

“I expect to see that change in his batting this time, hopefully, it’s not against Delhi Capitals though,” he signed off.