IPL 2022: "I felt Rohit Sharma might leave captaincy like Virat Kohli, hand the responsibility to Pollard" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Before the start of IPL 2022, Sanjay Manjrekar said Rohit Sharma could follow Virat Kohli's example and step down from the Mumbai Indians (MI) captaincy.

The former cricketer's comments came during an interaction with ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday. He was asked about Kieron Pollard's lowly returns - 47 runs from four innings - in the season so far. Manjrekar said the West Indian "still adds value" to the MI setup, revealing that he had even envisaged a leadership role for him.

He said:

"I feel Pollard still adds value. [Before the season] I even felt Rohit Sharma might leave captaincy like Virat Kohli, relax a bit, play as a pure batter and hand the responsibility to Pollard who is a brilliant international captain."

Within a couple of months, Kohli either stepped down or was sacked from the captaincy of all three formats for India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He now plays as a pure batter, with Faf du Plessis handling the reins of the latter.

Rohit, who has won the IPL title five times (list of IPL winners) is currently overseeing one of the most difficult phases for MI. The team has lost four matches on the trot and the lack of depth in the squad means any solution seems a far cry.

Pollard could be a source of inspiration but Manjrekar feels that, despite his record on paper, the all-rounder is "doing his usual job" and is waiting for a "crunch game" to bring out his best. He explained:

"Pollard still has the capability, I can see that from the sixes he hits. He’ll contribute in the pressure match, the crunch game. But they need to reach there first and that’s not on Pollard, it never has been. He's never contributed throughout the season for Mumbai Indians. He plays one innings in a pressure game and sees the team through. Others need to work better because Pollard is doing his usual job."

Speaking on Rohit's batting, Manjrekar said the opener needs to be a little selfish and play more "freely" like he does for India. He said:

"His record has been like this for the last 3-4 seasons, average less than 30, strike-rate not 150 or 160. When he plays for India his numbers get better... because then he only thinks about himself and less about the team. When playing IPL, he tries to play the anchor role similar to what KL Rahul did with Punjab Kings and Hardik Pandya did in the last match. If he plays freely, we’ll see the Rohit Sharma we see in Indian cricket."

Rohit has scored just 80 runs from four matches so far. His struggles epitomize a batting lineup caught between trying to bat more responsibly, which would support an inexperienced bowling attack, and playing its naturally aggressive game.

Check out the updated IPL points table here.

"My only expectation from Bumrah would be to take wickets with the new ball" - Sanjay Manjrekar

Manjrekar said that, like the skipper, MI's ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah is also struggling from the pressure of performing more than his ability.

He said that like they do with some other frontline bowlers, IPL teams try to play Bumrah out. The commentator added that his "only expectation" from the 28-year-old ahead of MI's match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) would be to set the match with early wickets. Manjrekar asserted:

"This has been happening with Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine and Bumrah in the last 6-7 years. I am sure the discussions in the team meeting would involve 'let’s not get out to them and take risks against others'. My only expectation from Bumrah would be able to take wickets with the new ball. If he picks up 1-2 wickets there, then he doesn't have any issues in the middle-overs and he's a specialist of death overs. All those players who have the ability will have to multiply it by two for Mumbai Indians to qualify. Bumrah is also under that pressure."

As per the IPL schedule, the MI-PBKS encounter will kick-off at 7:30 pm on Wednesday at the MCA Stadium in Pune.