Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes Rohit Sharma can no longer rely solely on natural talent, warning that “things are slipping away” for the opening batter.
Rohit Sharma has endured a woeful start to his IPL 2025 campaign, managing just eight runs in Mumbai Indians’ first two matches. He was dismissed for a four-ball duck in Chennai against the Super Kings. In Mumbai’s chase of 197 against Gujarat Titans, he started promisingly with two boundaries but was undone by a brilliant delivery from Mohammed Siraj on Saturday, March 29.
Rohit headed into IPL 2025 on the back of a match-winning knock in the Champions Trophy final. The India captain also took a break in the Maldives before rejoining the Mumbai Indians camp.
However, his performances so far have been underwhelming. Against Gujarat Titans, Rohit failed to react quickly as Siraj’s delivery pitched outside off-stump, seamed in, and sneaked through the gap between his bat and pad. The opener looked dejected after missing the opportunity to provide a solid start in Mumbai’s chase of 197. His dismissal further compounded Mumbai’s troubles as they fell short of Gujarat’s total by 36 runs, with both Rohit and his opening partner Ryan Rickelton failing in the powerplay.
“Rohit Sharma is clearly going through a phase. He’s not the Rohit Sharma of, say, three to four years ago. He’s at a stage in his career where he has to push himself every morning-train hard and be at his best-because things are slipping away for him. He’s still relying on his natural talent and instincts,” Sanjay Manjrekar told JioStar after Mumbai’s second successive loss in IPL 2025.
Rohit scored 417 runs for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024. However, despite a strong start, his form tapered off as the season progressed. His struggles continued into the 2024-25 Test season, where he failed in the home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand before enduring a torrid tour of Australia. His form hit a new low when he dropped himself from the team for the final Test.
