Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma is widely regarded as one of the most explosive batters in the world, having mastered the art of hitting double hundreds in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and centuries in T20s.
But there's something wrong with the Mumbai-born cricketer at the moment as he seems to fall at almost every juncture in this year's IPL.
Rohit, who took over the mantle of Team India's captaincy from Virat Kohli in all-formats only recently, has looked completely out of touch and has failed to make even one impactful score so far in the cash-rich league.
Rohit is yet to make a fifty in the ongoing tournament. His highest score to date is 48.
It is quite a fall for a player who is not just known for his big-hitting prowess but for building an innings as well.
Surprisingly, Rohit has never looked like going and has continuously struggled to middle the ball.
At times, it has appeared that he has lost interest in the game, while on other occasions he has looked like a tired cricketer.
Fortunately for Rohit though the limelight has been largely on Virat Kohli who has been experiencing a longer than an expected slump.
But Rohit's barren run with the willow has already created ripples among the Indian fans which are quite understandable, considering it is a T20 World Cup year.
After Kohli, Rohit Sharma's indifferent form is certainly not a piece of good news for the Men-in-Blue, especially when knows how much the Mumbaikar loves the Australian pitches.
His record in Australia is simply phenomenal in white-ball cricket and India would need him to fire on all cylinders if they are to end their 15-year drought at the prestigious event.
The South Asian country last won the T20 World Cup in 2007 when South Africa hosted the maiden edition of the tournament.
Coming back to Rohit Sharma's troubles in the IPL, it could be due to multiple factors but the biggest one is the state of his mind.
It is quite evident that Rohit's mind is all over the place at this juncture as his team, the once-mighty Mumbai Indians, who have won the IPL a record five times, are currently languishing at the bottom of the table.
In cricket, it is often said that a leader looks good till his team is winning and that's precisely what is currently happening with Rohit.
When he had the services of the likes of Trent Boult, Hardik and Krunal Pandya, and Rahul Chahar, MI looked nearly invincible at times.
But with all of the aforementioned players departing from Mumbai, Rohit is now the senior-most pro in the side and a lot of responsibility rests on his shoulders, particularly in batting.
And that's where Rohit has faltered as too much responsibility has not been a boon to him, rather it has turned out to be a major curse that continues to haunt him again and again.
He has been unable to lead from the front as he has been pretty ordinary with the willow.
There's no doubt that Rohit's performances have been underwhelming but it is another matter that his teammates have been unable to lift the mood in the camp as well.
Meanwhile, it is the manner of Rohit's dismissals that would be worrying the Mumbai Indians' management as it shows that Rohit is struggling at the moment.
He has simply chipped the ball back into the hands of fielders, while on several occasions, Rohit has poked at deliveries that he could have left alone, especially at the start of his innings.
Leaving balls in T20s is not considered ideal but when you are in bad form such as Rohit, you need to get your eye in before taking on opposition bowlers.
Experts like Sanjay Manjrekar, however, believe that Rohit isn't out of form. But the runs are not flowing from his bat.
Even former India cricketer Gopal Sharma, who played with Ravi Shastri during the 1990s holds a similar viewpoint.
According to him, the biggest issue that is bothering Rohit Sharma right now is his team's lack of success in the IPL.
“Mumbai's inability to produce good performances consistently has not just impacted their position in the IPL but has taken a heavy toll on Rohit as well,” he told ClutchPoints.
“Rohit is yet to come to terms with the fact that his side is no longer dominating the competition and that's where the problem lies,” Gopal Sharma added.
But the ex-India spinner also insisted that he was confident about Rohit doing well for the country in the T20I series against South Africa next month.
“Rohit is a kind of a player who needs just a knock or two to regain his touch and I am pretty confident that he will be back among the runs soon,” he concluded.
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