Former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma did not take the field during the batting of the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday. While Rohit Sharma did return as an impact player while chasing the runs, there was no official explanation for the absence of Rohit Sharma throughout the game. It was only in the post-match press conference following the defeat of the Mumbai Indians that veteran spinner Piyush Chawla opened up about the absence of Rohit Sharma in playing 11.
Chawla revealed that Rohit was complaining of back stiffness and that he was used as an impact player as a precautionary measure.
Chawla told the media Rohit just had mild back stiffness, so it was just a precautionary thing.
It is to be noted that Rohit Sharma had faced a stiff back issue during the test series against England earlier this year, and he did not take the field on day 3 of the final test match where Jasprit Bumrah was leading the team. The match ended the same day with the Indian cricket team cleaning up innings and a 64-run victory to take the series 4-1.
Against Kolkata Knight Riders, Rohit Sharma failed to make an impact as he joined the playing 11 during the run chase, scoring 11 runs in 12 balls. The Mumbai Indians got their eighth delivery of the season, falling 24 runs short of their target of 170 runs with the loss. The Mumbai Indians are almost certain of their elimination from the playoff race as there are only three matches remaining in their campaign.
The 37-year-old batsman from Mumbai Indians has had a mixed season till now. While he did score a century during the match against Chennai Super Kings, the knock remains his only 50+ score in this season with 3 26 runs in 11 matches. The form of Rohit Sharma is also becoming a potential concern as the Indian cricket team is getting ready for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Rohit Sharma is going to lead his team with Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya as his vice captain in the mega tournament, which is going to get started on June 1st.
The Mumbai Indians now rely on other teams to give favorable results, as their chances of making it to the playoffs are very minimal.
