“He seems to be a bit disinterested” - Former India cricketer’s massive claim on Rohit Sharma amid IPL 2025

Former Indian pacer Atul Wassan questioned Rohit Sharma's motivation levels in the ongoing IPL 2025, following several low scores for the Mumbai Indians (MI). The five-time champions have qualified for the playoffs, finishing fourth on the points table, despite another lackluster season from their talisman.

The 38-year-old has scored only 329 runs in 13 outings at an average of 27.41 and a strike rate of 147.53. Rohit has scored half-centuries in only three out of his 13 innings.

In a conversation on the Bails and Banter Podcast on the OTTplay app, Wassan called out Rohit, saying (via Hindustan Times):

"He seems to be a bit disinterested; the motivation, the fire in the belly, has satiated. He has won almost everything, from winning the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy to retiring from Test cricket. Hence, to motivate yourself to play at this level of cricket every day is a very tough task."

He continued:

"A player needs to have some sort of aim in the future; it could be the longevity and the legacy. No player wants to compromise on the reputation he/she has built and leave fans with bad memories, and this is something which should motivate them."

Rohit has scored only 36 runs in his last three innings at an average of 12, including a painful 21-ball 24 in MI's defeat to Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their league stage finale.

A look back at Rohit Sharma's recent IPL struggles

Rohit Sharma is among the most successful captains in the IPL, leading MI to their joint-record five titles. However, his batting has been a massive letdown in the past few seasons.

Despite predominantly opening the batting, Rohit has crossed the 400-run mark in a season only twice in the last nine IPL editions. Furthermore, the champion batter has averaged over 30 in a season only once (last year) since IPL 2017. Rohit's struggles did not hamper MI in the late 2010s when they won three out of their five titles between 2017 and 2020.

However, the side has since struggled, with their playoff qualification this season being only their second in the last five IPL seasons. MI will hope Rohit returns to his best when they take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) or Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Eliminator at Mullanpur on Friday, May 30.