According to former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif, Rohit Sharma will have a difficult time breaking the 600-run threshold in the forthcoming IPL season—a significant accomplishment the star opener is yet to achieve in his remarkable career.
Rohit, who guided the Mumbai Indians to five IPL championships, was closest to the milestone in 2013 when he scored 538 runs, which is remains his highest season total. Despite his consistent performances and match-winning innings over the years, the veteran hasn't yet entered the select group of batters who have scored more than 600 runs in a single IPL season, a record frequently accomplished by Virat Kohli.
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Mohammad Kaif recently expressed his opinions about Rohit's poor batting performance in the IPL, stating that although the previous captain of the Mumbai Indians has been outstanding in his leadership, he hasn't fully utilized his batting talent.
"We talk about Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, but Rohit Sharma has not scored 700-800 runs in a season. In the IPL, he gets points for captaincy and experience, but when you compare him with Virat Kohli or some other batter, he doesn't score 600-700 runs. He scores in one or two matches and becomes the Man of the Match," Kaif said on his YouTube channel.
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Rohit struck four half-centuries and 418 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 149.29 during the previous season. But after losing a lot of weight lately, Kaif stated that the biggest challenge for him will be to surpass the 500–600 run threshold in the next IPL season.
"So, the biggest test for him this time is to cross the 500-run or 600-run mark. Sai Sudharsan scored 750 runs this time. So, Rohit Sharma would also want to score around 600 runs because he has gotten lean and is in good form. He will be very hungry for runs in this IPL," he added.
The Mumbai Indians (MI) retained their former skipper for Rs 16.30 crore despite rumors that they will split ways with him before the 2025 Indian Premier League. Before the upcoming season, the team once again denied reports that he would be traded to the Kolkata Knight Riders. With 418 runs from 15 innings in 2025, Rohit was MI's second-highest run scorer. After being relieved of captaincy at both the IPL and international levels, he will want to once again play a crucial role for his team with the bat in the forthcoming season.
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