On Sunday, Rohit Sharma played in an IPL match without leading the Mumbai Indians for the first time since 2013. The Indian cricket star had been the captain of the Mumbai Indians from 2013 to 2023.
Back in 2013, he guided Mumbai to their maiden IPL title and subsequently turned them into a dominant force in the league, taking them from underachievers to IPL champions. Under his leadership, Mumbai Indians achieved the milestone of winning the IPL three, four, and five times. However, ahead of the IPL 2024 season, Mumbai Indians opted for a change in leadership due to their inconsistent performances in recent years.
During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Mumbai Indians failed to qualify for the playoffs altogether. Although they made it to the playoffs in 2023, they fell short of reaching the final. After three consecutive seasons without making it to the final or clinching the title, Mumbai Indians made the decision to remove Rohit Sharma from the captaincy role and named Hardik Pandya as his successor.
Spencer Johnson saved Rohit Sharma:
After losing his captaincy with the Mumbai Indians, Rohit Sharma returned to the IPL field for the first time this season in a match against the Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The right-handed batsman showed good form, scoring 43 runs off 29 balls, including seven fours and a six. However, his efforts weren’t enough to lead his team to victory.
Sharma’s innings came to an end when he was dismissed by Sai Kishore, who trapped him leg-before-wicket. During his batting, Sharma narrowly avoided a potential injury thanks to Spencer Johnson’s quick thinking.
The incident occurred on the last ball of the tenth over, when Sharma faced a wide delivery from Johnson. Sharma hit the ball for a boundary and, while watching its path, inadvertently collided with Spencer Johnson, who was standing in his way. Johnson managed to prevent Sharma from falling by grabbing him.
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Despite Sharma’s efforts, the Mumbai Indians fell short in the match, losing to the Gujarat Titans by six runs. The Titans batted first, scoring 168 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs, while the Mumbai Indians finished their innings with a total of 162 for 9 in reply.