Ex-India cricketer and former Mumbai Indians star Harabhajan Singh has said that Rohit Sharma now has the responsibility on his shoulders to revive the franchise's legacy. Notably, Rohit became the skipper of the MI way back in 2013 and had an impact straight away as he led the team their maiden IPL title that year. Ever since he has become an intergral part of the team has helped them add four more titles to their trophy cabinet in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
As Rohit turns 36 on Sunday and the franchise has decided to dedicate Mumbai's fixture against Rajasthan Royals to the Hitman, a former star of the franchise, Harbhajan reckons it is Rohit's responsibility to revive the legacy especially after they finished at the bottom of the points table last season and find themselves reeling at the ninth place with 3 wins from 7 matches in IPL 2023.
"MI has had a different legacy. Every cricketer aspires to be a part of this franchise. Although the situation has changed a bit this year, Rohit has the responsibility to revive this legacy. They have many young and talented players. Now, it is his job to groom these players," Harbhajan said on Star Sports.
Meanwhile, former India opener Virender Sehwag feels that Rohit should bat without the pressure of captaincy. He believes that MI can still make it to the Playoffs in this edition of the competition.
"MI have definitely lost two matches but all is not over for them. Rohit should not come under the pressure of captaincy and play his game freely. This team has the potential to bounce back. It can still qualify for the playoffs," Sehwag said on Star Sports.
Meanwhile, ex-India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has said that the team's bowlers barring Piyush Chawla have failed to hit the right lengths consistently.
"The problem with MI bowlers is that they are allowing the new batters to settle. They have even allowed the uncapped batters to play aggressively. Almost every bowler, except Piyush Chawla, didn't bowl consistently in the right areas," Pathan said.