There was no smile of joy, not even a hint of laughter. A dozen years after his first triple-digit knock, Rohit Sharma They had doubled their number IPL Centuries, but when the packed crowd at the Wankhede Stadium went bananas, the skipper didn't even raise his bat to receive the applause. As important as his individual achievement was, Rohit's second IPL century was doomed to come in defeat as Mumbai Indians posted 206 for 4 against Chennai Super Kings. 20 ends short.
If the Indian captain gets over the disappointment of the humiliating defeat, he reflects on his own effort with a hint of satisfaction, but not complacency. After four consecutive mediocre seasons – after 2019, his highest total was 381 in 2021, his best strike-rate was 132.80 last year when he scored 332 runs at 20.75 – Rohit has rediscovered his IPL mojo. Whether that had anything to do with how he was removed from the captaincy despite his exceptional record is open to question. But batting with the freedom that is his calling card in white-ball internationals, Rohit has already scored 261 runs in six innings this season, at an average of 52.20 and a strike rate of 167.31 that suggests a happy fusion of consistency and unrestrained aggression.
With the T20 World Cup less than a month and a half away, these are encouraging signs from the Indian point of view. Things are not rosy for his franchise; Their campaign has gone pear-shaped after a fourth defeat in six outings.
The temptation to hold Rohit responsible for Mumbai's inability to crack the tape may have been overwhelming in some quarters; If anything, the 36-year-old may also feel he has to share some of the blame, though he admits it. Matish is husbandThe latest Sri Lankan slinging sensation, Bumrah on the Mumbai batters.
Like India's famous paceman, Pathirana faced weak shots at crucial times, first dismissing Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav in the space of three balls, then helping Rohit add 70 for the opening wicket, then returning to dismiss Tilak Verma. He added 60 runs for the third wicket with his former captain. With left-arm Verma out, MI were still in control, 130 for 3 in 13.5 overs, needing 77 off 37 balls, little more than a walk in the park on a small ground with seven wickets, a flat deck and a dewy outfield.
Rohit had scored 76 off 46 when Verma fell; His partner's departure took some of the fluency out of the right-handed batsman, though it must be remembered that Rohit only faced eight off 24 balls in overs 13 to 16. Hardik Pandya conceded 20 runs in four balls in the last over CSKDespite Mahendra Singh Dhoni's innings, pottering around six balls in two overs, and Tim David hitting two powerful sixes, one could sense that Rohit was frustrated at being denied a strike. At the crucial stage of the chase, MI going 15 balls without a boundary didn't help matters; Rohit led them to five, bowled by CSK's Mumbai Ranji Trophy Shardul Thakur and Tusshar Deshpande.
It was too late by the time Rohit found his boundary hitting mojo in the last ball of Mustafizur Rahman's 19th over. Between them, Pandya, Romario Shepherd and Mohammad Nabi faced 15 runs off the last 37 balls to give up a massive seven runs. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the match was won and lost on that course with respect to Patira's brilliant spell of four wickets for 28 runs in another blow for the impact player rule.
Where does Rohit's 105 against CSK rank?
Where does all this place Rohit's eighth T20 century? In the wake of the defeat, not too much, one might argue, but given the bigger picture, his unbeaten 105 off 63, 11 fours and five sixes carries little import. Despite the mid-innings crises, he ended up with a strike-rate of 166.66, more than acceptable any way one looks at it. He was simultaneously an attacker and an anchor – that's a dreaded word in 20-over cricket – and his approach and attitude could not be faulted, regardless of the result.
A combination of clever execution by CSK's fast bowlers and their own desperation to muscle the ball effectively shackled a bunch of panicked, terrified ball-bashers themselves, an unexpected and potentially one-off development. Not on Rohit, not by a long shot. MI wanted this hundred, India wanted this hundred, Rohit wanted this hundred. And not necessarily in that order.