"If he is a bit mentally fatigued, you can see why" - Shane Watson on Rohit Sharma's workload management

Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson reckons that Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma could be dealing with mental fatigue because of his jam-packed schedule.

He noted that Shamra has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders, given that he is leading the Indian team in all three formats. Watson opined that it becomes challenging to manage one's mental energy in such situations.

Speaking on the YouTube channel 'The Grade Cricketer', here's what he said about Sharma:

"It is a huge challenge to manage your mental energy. International cricketers around the world do play a lot of cricket, but Indian cricketers play it non-stop all year round. With Rohit Sharma now being captain of India now as well, it's even more on his plate. If he is a bit mentally fatigued, you can see why."

Notably, ahead of the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023), Sharma emphasized the importance of managing the Indian players' workload during the competition. He suggested that cricketers should also consider taking a break after a few matches to keep themselves fit.

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"He hasn't been very consistent at all" - Shane Watson on Rohit Sharma's batting exploits in the IPL

Shane Watson further stated that Rohit Sharma hasn't been able to make much of an impact with the bat for Mumbai in the IPL for several seasons now.

The cricketer-turned-coach pointed out that the opening batter's performances have been very inconsistent in the past four or five editions. Watson added:

"When it comes to Rohit Sharma, we have seen him at his best, but in the last four or five years of the IPL, he hasn't been very consistent at all. It is hard to get your head around it because he is such a gun batter when he is going, taking on all the best bowlers in the world in all different conditions.

"I am not sure what is going on there, but he is just inconsistent. There hasn't been a year that I can remember in the last four or five years where he has dominated the IPL as he should."

Sharma has scored 181 runs from seven outings in IPL 2023 at an average of 25.86. He has just one half-century to his name.