Hardik Pandya ordered to demote Rohit Sharma in MI batting order amid poor form

Former India cricketer Anjum Chopra talked about the poor form of Rohit Sharma in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. She said that his struggle to get going is not helping Mumbai Indians as they are not getting the starts they are looking for.

India skipper Rohit Sharma has been struggling to get going in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The opening batter has looked far away from his best and this surely is one of the reasons why the franchise is having a tough time in the league, having won just two games in the season.

Rohit Sharma failing in IPL 2025

Rohit, who recently won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as skipper and was a great touch with the bat, was expected to play a vital role for Mumbai Indians. With him being retired from T20Is, it was certain that he would set the stage on fire in the 18th edition of the league.

Rohit has returned with scores of 0, 8, 13, 17, and 18 in the five games that he has played. The senior batter has continued to bat in the same attacking mindset, which hasn’t paid off till now. He has faced a lot of criticism and there have been calls related to his retirement as well.

It's not helping, it's not setting the start that Mumbai Indians were looking for - Anjum Chopra

While talking about the form of Rohit Sharma, Anjum Chopra said that Mumbai Indians can look to push the senior batter down the order. She stressed that opening batter not starting well might have affected him. Speaking to PTI, she said:

“You can be out of form. It's not a crime to be out of form. The only idea is that it's not helping, it's not setting the start that Mumbai Indians were looking for or are looking for right at the top. So, I mean, they have options, they can always look at pushing Rohit Sharma down the order or not utilizing all those options are always there.

“But it's not that Rohit Sharma is out of form, it's just that sometimes you don't start the tournament on that good a note or that high a note and it can affect you as a batter or as a player as well."

He hasn't got that kind of a start but then we know what kind of a player he is - Anjum Chopra on Rohit Sharma

Anjum Chopra further talked about how players can go through rough patches before adding that although Rohit Sharma hasn’t got runs, one cannot write him off. She added:

"So, it's part and parcel. It's like we are watching a tournament as and when it's an IPL or a World Cup. But tell me, in a World Cup, would you want your best batter to be in form in a World Cup or not? And a lot of energy goes into delivering that kind of performance."

“Some people recover from that and step into the next tournament quicker than most or others. It's not that others can't get into it. He hasn't got that kind of a start but then we know what kind of a player he is or what kind of a match winner is.”

Rohit, who is under massive pressure, would want to make a strong comeback in the league. It remains to be seen if Mumbai Indians back him going ahead or not.

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