IPL: 5 decisions of captain Rohit Sharma that prove he is a master tactician

It was in 2007 when Rohit Sharma forayed into international cricket. He was one of the key players for India in their World T20 2007 campaign. Since then, he has never looked back and found success in the Indian Premier League (IPL) both as a player and captain. To date, Rohit has won one title as a player, with Deccan Chargers in the 2009 edition, and has led Mumbai Indians to an impressive five titles. He has been successful in executing the plans on the field and has taken some crucial decisions. His success in the tournament paved the way for his induction as captain of the Indian national team. The youngsters, who have featured for Mumbai Indians in the past, have gone on to play international cricket as well. This is, in part, due to the support given by Rohit, the captain, which has helped them to build their confidence to perform well in pressure situations. Here are 5 brilliant decisions taken by Rohit Sharma in the IPL 5. IPL 2017 – Sacrificing the opening slot Lendl Simmons of Mumbai Indians celebrates his half century. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) The left-right combination has always been lethal to eliminate the challenges posed by the opposition bowlers. The same strategy was used by Rohit and the Mumbai Indians team management in the 2017 edition. Looking at the success of Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel as an opening pair in 2015, Rohit sacrificed his position and pushed himself down the order at No.4 for the entire season. It helped the Mumbai Indians team to play with the same strategy in the powerplay, while Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard provided acceleration to MI at the back end of the innings. Lendl Simmons became the joint second-highest run-scorer of the tournament with 540 runs, with the hitman. The move helped the team in winning their third title. 4. IPL 2019 – Bringing Rahul Chahar in the XI Rahul Chahar. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar was bought by Mumbai Indians in 2018, but could not feature in any of the games due to tough competition, with Mayank Markande and Krunal Pandya doing well for the team. But, his performances in the domestic cricket for the Rajasthan state side helped him to play his first match for Mumbai Indians against Chennai Super Kings, in the fourth fixture of the team in the tournament. Though, Rahul was not an immediate success his performances improved as the season progressed. His best figures came against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he finished his spell with figures of 3/19. He went on to pick 13 wickets in 13 appearances in the season. In the final, Rahul Chahar put substantial pressure to contain the CSK batters and finished with 1/14 off four overs. His spell helped the Mumbai Indians win by a narrow margin of one run. 3. IPL 2017 Final – Promoting Krunal Pandya up the order Krunal Pandya. (Photo Source: Twitter) The 2017 final was a low-scoring affair, involving Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant. The Mumbai Indians did not get off to a good start, with Jaydev Unadkat dismissing both the openers, Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel, while Rayudu was run-out early as well. Captain Rohit Sharma, who came in at No. 4, promoted all-rounder Krunal Pandya ahead of Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard to rebuild the innings by forming a strong partnership to post a defending total on the board. Mumbai could only manage a score of 129. Meanwhile, Krunal ended up being the top contributor with 47 off 38 balls. The move ultimately helped the Mumbai Indians win the match by a solitary run, with Krunal being named as Player of the Match for his batting efforts. 2. IPL 2015 – Giving the ball to Kieron Pollard Kieron Pollard. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) IPL 2015 saw many of the Mumbai Indians players such as Lendl Simmons, Parthiv Patel, and Mitchell McClenaghan performing at their best. But the decision-making of Rohit Sharma proved to be vital for the Mumbai Indians, as they secured one of their most famous wins. Kieron Pollard steered the team well by stitching an unbeaten partnership of 92 with Hardik Pandya to post 171 against the Knight Riders in a must-win game. With all the key bowlers like Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, and McClenaghan bowling out their full quota of overs, Rohit decided to give the ball to Pollard, given his confidence and form with the bat. The decision worked well as he defended 12 runs in the final over. The win helped the team to stay alive in the competition, which they ultimately won. 1. IPL 2019 Final – Saving Lasith Malinga for the last over Lasith Malinga. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) After the 2017 final, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni were involved in another nail-biting finish, as their respective teams gave their all to win the trophy in the 2019 edition. The Mumbai Indians did well to post a target of 149 runs, which was a fine total given the amount of pressure associated with a final. The Chennai Super Kings got off a very good start and were cruising till the first half of their innings. But the Mumbai Indians bowlers were clinical and took wickets regularly. Chennai required 19 runs off 12 balls, and Jasprit Bumrah was terrific with his line and lengths. Fortunately, captain Rohit Sharma planned the distribution of overs between his bowlers in a perfect manner. In the all-important last over, CSK needed 9 runs. Lasith Malinga was held back to bowl this over and he delivered a one-run win for his team.

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IPL: 5 decisions of captain Rohit Sharma that prove he is a master tactician

Rohit Sharma is the most successful captain in the IPL, with five titles to his name.

3. IPL 2017 Final – Promoting Krunal Pandya up the order

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