Rohit Sharma was seen in the dugout while Mumbai Indians were fielding against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024.
New Delhi: Rohit Sharma sitting in the dugout during Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) batting in an IPL 2024 encounter on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium raised a few speculations among the netizens about how the Indian captain was being treated after Hardik Pandya became the new captain. However, the real truth came after the game when spinner Piyush Chawla revealed the actual reason behind management’s decision to use Rohit as an Impact Player.
Speaking to the reporters at the post-match press conference, Chawla informed that Rohit had a back stiffness. “He just had a mild back stiffness. It was just a precautionary thing,” Chawla told reporters on Friday night at the Wankhede Stadium. A day before, Rohit had addressed the media about the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 set to be played in USA and West Indies.
With the mega tournament fast approaching, fitness of the players are of utmost importance and an injury to any player will jeopardize Rohit and the team management’s plans. However, Rohit failed to make an ‘Impact’ during Mumbai Indians’ chase as the former skipper could manage only 11 off 12 balls as the five-time champions eventually lost the game by 24 runs to be all but out of playoffs race.
Incidentally, Rohit is Mumbai Indians’ highest run-getter in the ongoing season. This is not the first time, the Indian captain suffering from a back issue. Earlier this year in March, Rohit was diagnosed with a stiff back and did not take the field on Day 3 of the fifth and final Test match against England. The BCCI confirmed the news during the first session of third day’s play.
