Rohit Sharma’s lack of form is also affecting his captaincy: Ravi Shastri

The ongoing Indian Premier League season hasn't been a great one for Mumbai Indians, more so for their skipper Rohit Sharma. After being steamrolled by Chennai Super Kings in their last match, Mumbai Indians would next face Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday, May 9 in a must-win encounter. 

However, Rohit's ordinary form with the willow remains a concern for the five-time champions. In his last four innings, the 36-year-old has scored 0, 0, 3 and 2. With two consecutive ducks in the previous two matches, Rohit etched his name at the apex of the unwanted list of most ducks ever scored in IPL. The star Indian opener has managed to score just 184 runs so far in the tournament at a poor average of 18.39 and a strike rate of 126.89.

It has recently been commented by former India head-coach Ravi Shastri that Rohit's poor form could also be affecting his leadership skills for MI. In a chat with ESPNcricinfo ahead of Mumbai's all-important clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Shastri said that Rohit’s lack of form had made his role as captain even more difficult. 

Rohit, often deemed the most successful skipper in IPL history, has managed to lead MI to only five victories in 10 outings this season. MI currently sit at the sixth position on the points table and struggle to break into the top four.

The former Indian all-rounder also added that captaincy for Rohit would have been much easier if he had been performing consistently with the bat this season. This would have eventually made him more confident, enabling him to think in a whole new direction which was the need of the hour for the five-time champions. 

“As a captain, more important is that your performances come into play. 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 and the energy on the field is different. It's different. As opposed to when you not getting runs, you can go flat - no matter who you are,” said Shastri.

Rohit isn't the only one to be blamed: Shastri

The 60-year-old also backed Rohit Sharma by stating that he was not the only one who should be blamed for Mumbai’s poor run in the tournament, but the squad, which isn't exactly the most experienced group in the competition, should also take responsibility. According to Shastri, the current MI team is different from the one from two years ago after being devoid of players like Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, and Kieron Pollard. 

Shastri stated that with cricket developing so quickly, it had become much harder to captain teams than it was in the past. He further added that the challenge for Rohit as the skipper had doubled since Mumbai's resources were not the same as before.

However, with four crucial games remaining, MI would be raring to make a comeback before it gets too late and would therefore hope that Rohit comes back to form as the IPL enters the business end.