Ravi Shastri opines on Rohit Sharma's form and captaincy in the IPL 2023

Rohit Sharma has scored 184 runs at an average of 18.39 and a strike rate of 126.89 in IPL 2023.

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma is having a hard time both as a batter and as a captain in this IPL 2023 season. And former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma's workload "has doubled" in the past years.

Rohit has guided MI to five IPL championships, the most ever, in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, making him the most successful captain in IPL history. But they did endure one of their worst campaigns last year, coming in dead last with only four wins in 14 games.

"The resources that you had two or three years ago isn't quite the same. The challenges as a captain might have doubled for him. The work as a captain would have doubled as opposed to two years ago when everything was nice, set - go out there and do the job," Shastri said about Rohit's captaincy on ESPNCricinfo’s Ravi & Raunak program.

"And then comes the challenge of how do you get them [the team] going, how do you motivate that bunch, how do you create a combination, how do you see who is the best in that lot to fit in and deliver at a certain stage of the game,” he added.

Lasith Malinga announced his retirement from all forms of the game in 2021, and Kieron Pollard did the same last year with his international and IPL careers. They did got Jofra Archer in the mega auction, but he was injured last year and is still getting used to playing in the IPL in 2023.

You can go flat no matter who you are: Ravi Shastri on Rohit Sharma’s poor form

Recently, Sunil Gavaskar said that Rohit "needs a little break" and should return rested for the finals of the World Test Championship and the IPL's league phase.  He amassed 268 runs in the IPL 2022 with a strike rate of 120.17, an average of 19.14, and no half-centuries.

Shastri agreed that not being in form with the bat has affected Rohit's captaincy as well.

He said: "If you start getting on a purple patch where you are scoring runs, the job as a captain becomes much easier, the body language on the field changes, that energy on the field is different as opposed to when you are not getting runs. You can go flat no matter who you are.

That's where, as a captain, it is more important that your performances come into play. It is harder now because of the stage of his career, the kind of team that they have. The same team could be a terrific team in a year's time or two years' time, once they start gelling together. But to get that right mix, that's the job of the captain."

In ten innings, Rohit has scored 184 runs at 18.39 and a strike rate of 126.89, which is not much better than his 2023 performance. There are two ducks in this.