'The challenges as a captain might have doubled for him' - Ravi Shastri on Rohit Sharma's challenges as Mumbai Indians' skipper

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri recently opened up on the challenges that Rohit Sharma and Mumbai Indians face in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2023. While Rohit is struggling to be among the runs, MI, on the other hand, are having another ordinary outing with five wins from 10 matches.

Shastri feels that the challenges which Rohit faces as captain, have grown bigger in the past two years after Mumbai Indians failed to live up to its reputation. He talked about Rohit’s captaincy in ESPNcricinfo’s show titled 'Ravi & Raunak', opining that the resources that the team had a few years ago weren't the same, therefore doubling Rohit's load as the captain.

"The resources that you had two or three years ago isn't quite the same. The challenges as a captain might have doubled for him. The work as a captain would have doubled as opposed to two years ago when everything was nice, set - go out there and do the job," said Shastri.

The transition which the team went through in the past couple of years certainly reflected in their performance as they failed to qualify for the playoffs in the last two editions of the IPL. He also added that continuous transition is a challenge for any team as well as the captain. He backed it up by saying that in such crunch situations, it becomes crucial to gather the team and motivate them to deliver, all while coming out with the perfect combination.

"And then comes the challenge of how do you get them [the team] going, how do you motivate that bunch, how do you create a combination, how do you see who is the best in that lot to fit in and deliver at a certain stage of the game," Shastri added.

The same team could be terrific in a year or two: Shastri

While commenting on the new setup, Shastri also focussed on the makeover that the team has had in the last couple of years and said that the current team, too, could turn itself into a lethal one within the next two years, provided the skipper manages to bring it together like the previous unit.

"The same team could be terrific in a year or two years, once they start gelling together. But to get that right mix, that's the job of the captain," said Shastri.

The transition of the MI squad saw them losing their core players either in the process of auctions or in the form of hurtful retirements. Owing to the auction dynamics, MI lost their key pair of all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya to Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants respectively. Also, now that the tournament is a 10-team affair, the challenge and the competition have increased manifolds.