"Rohit Sharma's chosen batting template not working," says Robin Uthappa

MI captain Rohit Sharma has scored just 257 at an average of 19.77 in the IPL 2023.

Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma is struggling to convert good starts into big scores in the ongoing IPL 2023 as the right-hander has only managed 257 runs in 13 matches with one fifty at an average of 19.77 and strike rate of 131.12.

Amid Rohit Sharma's ongoing rough patch with the bat in the Indian Premier League (IPL), former India captain Sunil Gavaskar had urged the Mumbai Indians skipper to take a break from the sport and focus on the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC 2023) final.

However, speaking on his IPL struggles, former India batter Robin Uthappa suggested that Rohit doesn't need a break.

"I don't there is much wrong with his form. When he is batting at the crease, he is playing like the Rohit Sharma we all know. I don't think the template he has chosen is not necessarily working for him. Although I don't think the template they've chosen for the captain of the Indian team of playing uber-aggressive cricket. This hasn't helped Rohit Sharma the batter," Uthappa, who is an expert with IPL's official digital broadcasting partner Jio Cinema, told NDTV.

MI are still in the race for playoffs with 14 points in 13 games despite the loss against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow recently.

Rohit needs to revert back to his "tried and tested" formula: Robin Uthappa

Rohit hasn’t had the best time in T20 cricket off late even for the Indian team as in 29 innings in T20Is in 2022, he managed 652 runs with 3 fifties at an average of 24. In IPL 2022, Rohit made 268 runs in 14 games when the five-time champions finished 10th on the points table.

Uthappa added that Rohit needs to revert back to his "tried and tested" formula where he takes his time before taking on the bowlers.

"I think he has been successful with the tried and tested method where he starts sedately but capitalizes on the amount of time he has taken initially. If he comes back to the proper batting, he will perform like the Rohit Sharma we all know. I necessarily don't think that he needs a break. It's just a mindset shift," he added.   

MI will next face SRH on May 21 in their final league match of IPL 2023.