The Mumbai Indians, under the leadership of Hardik Pandya, have finally secured their first victory in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. They triumphed over the defending champions, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), by eight wickets, successfully chasing down a target of 117 runs with 49 balls remaining. Despite this impressive team performance at Wankhede Stadium, Rohit Sharma's batting continues to raise concerns. He was dismissed cheaply for the third consecutive match, prompting former England captain Michael Vaughan to question Sharma's batting approach.

In the three matches played so far in IPL 2025, Rohit Sharma has managed to score only 21 runs, with individual scores of 0, 8, and 13. Notably, in the last five seasons of this lucrative league, he has surpassed 400 runs only once.

Vaughan remarked that Rohit Sharma seems to be maintaining his position in the team primarily due to his reputation. He emphasized the urgency for Sharma to improve his performance.

For context, Rohit Sharma participated as an impact substitute in the match against KKR, entering the field only in the 16th over of KKR's innings.

"Considering his statistics, we must evaluate Rohit solely as a batsman now, since he is no longer the captain. Under these circumstances, average performances can be tolerated, but they are still subpar. If he were not Rohit Sharma, he might have already lost his spot in the team with such numbers. They are insufficient for a player of his caliber," Vaughan stated in an interview with Cricbuzz.

"However, if he were still the captain, contributing his leadership skills, fostering team culture, and employing his tactical acumen—qualities I have observed consistently with both India and Mumbai in the past—those statistics would be more acceptable. But now that he is just a batsman, we must assess Rohit Sharma based on his batting performance alone. He needs to start scoring runs," he concluded.

'Not going to drop him'

Michael Vaughan promptly stated that he would not consider dropping Rohit Sharma due to the unique qualities he brings to the team. However, he emphasized that Rohit must rediscover his form.

In the last five IPL seasons, Rohit managed to surpass the 400-run mark only in the previous season. His statistics would have been significantly worse had he not scored a century against the Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede Stadium.

"I'm not suggesting that they'll let him go. I'm not going to drop him. We need him to start strong. He must regain his flow, rhythm, and confidence. For Mumbai to rectify their shortcomings from the first two matches, it is essential for the senior players to step up," Vaughan remarked.

He further noted that if the senior players, including Trent Boult, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rohit, can deliver consistent performances, the younger players will be able to enjoy the game. "You should encourage the young players to simply go out there and have fun. However, when you tell them they need to perform some magic for us, it becomes quite challenging. Therefore, Rohit's current performance is a significant concern for the team, and he must work on improving it," he added.

Finally, Vaughan expressed his confusion regarding Rohit not being the captain of the Mumbai Indians, especially given his role as the leader of the Indian men's ODI and Test teams. Last year, the franchise transferred the captaincy to Hardik Pandya.

"I often find myself puzzled by Rohit Sharma's situation in Mumbai. If he is capable of leading the national team, how is he not the captain of the Mumbai franchise? I question this because it doesn't make sense to me. He has been an excellent captain for India and has done a commendable job," Vaughan stated.

"We need to consider the developments in the white-ball format over the past couple of years. If he is regarded as the best candidate to lead the national side, how can he not be the best choice for the franchise team? He will be available for the entire season. I might be reigniting a discussion from last year," he concluded.

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