Questions over rest of season pop up as Rohit Sharma turns 39

Social media may be buzzing with birthday wishes for Rohit Sharma, a people’s hero and former captain of Mumbai Indians, but he would have preferred a more active 39th birthday on Thursday, 30 April. A hamstring injury has now sidelined him for four games in a row and on Wednesday evening, he was again a spectator in the dugout, watching the five-time champions crash to their sixth defeat in eight games.

“Rohit’s gonna take a couple of more games. He’s been trying. It’s not up to exactly where he would want, so not available for the team,’’ skipper Hardik Pandya said after winning the toss and opting to bat. The irony is, despite the 'Mumbai Paltan' riding on Ryan Rickleton’s breezy century to rustle up 243/5, it was not enough as Sunrisers Hyderabad pulled off another monster chase, of which we have seen a dime a dozen this season.

The million-dollar question for Sharma's fans is: will this be his IPL curtain call? It’s turning out to be yet another poor season for one of the most successful teams in IPL history as they languish in ninth position, and Sharma missing out two more would bring matters down to the last four league games, now that their chances of making the play-offs are all but gone. What’s more, MI’s gamble of pitching an all-foreign pair of Rickleton and Will Jacks at the top of the order paid off handsomely last night as they put up 93 runs in 7.1 overs. 

Such a forced time-out at this stage of his career, when batters rely on muscle memory to time the ball, is simply bad news. More so as Sharma had a fair start to the season in the first four games. While he looked in good touch with a 38-ball 78 in their season-opener against Kolkata Knight Riders, the former captain had totalled 137 runs in four games at an average of 45.66 and a strike rate of 165.06. But that strike rate is no longer par in this format, when matches are being won or lost in the powerplays, even if one is Rohit Sharma.

It was an interesting piece of trivia that the IPL 'El Clasico' between MI and CSK last week featured neither Sharma nor Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for the first time. While it’s a testimony to their longevity as players, it’s also a stark reminder that all good things come to an end. While MSD’s presence is largely attributable to the brand value he brings to the table for the yellow shirts, Sharma has limited game time in international cricket in only ODIs — making it an imperative for him to shine in the IPL.

The next round of ODIs is against a weaker opposition — Afghanistan at home in June — and any questions over fitness or form will once again scupper the veteran’s place in the team. The ambition of a final flourish in the 50-over World Cup in South Africa, no prizes for guessing, has once again begun to look like a long shot for the ‘Hitman.’