'Rohit at a stage where he has to push himself': MI sent playoffs warning as star told to 'pretend playing IPL in...'

Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians have had a very subpar start to the 2025 IPL season, with their batting order in particular currently not matching the standards. With captain Hardik Pandya demanding that the batting come to the party, a lot of focus has been given to Rohit Sharma’s quiet form at the top of the order over the last few IPL seasons.

Rohit recorded another batting failure in the chase against Gujarat Titans, where he was castled by Mohammed Siraj in the first over despite a couple of boundaries. This comes on the back of his four-ball duck against CSK in the season opener.

With many wondering what is up with Rohit Sharma, former England captain Michael Vaughan commented that it might be a question of motivation and confidence for the former MI skipper.

"He just got to pretend that he has got the Indian blues on and not the Mumbai blues,” joked Vaughan on Cricbuzz’s post-match show. “He is such a good player. For Mumbai to travel the distance this year, he has got to get runs.”

Vaughan pointed out how Rohit’s new style of hitting from ball one and looking more for impactful cameos is something that he has to become more consistent with.

“He has got to get his team off to flyers, his got to get back his confidence, his mojo,” explained Vaughan. “I just think Mumbai without Rohit Sharma firing, I don't think they will make the qualification (playoffs). He is one of those few players who can win a game on his own.”

Manjrekar serves warning: ‘Things are slipping away for him…’

"Sometimes I watch Rohit, like in the Australia Test series, and he sometimes has that persona that he is not bothered when he is there. I am sure he is not like that,” said Vaughan regarding the matter of investment from the 37-year-old, who is retired from T20Is for India. “He needs to find that inner motivation. If he can find that, he can be very dangerous.”

Sanjay Manjrekar, speaking for Star Sports after the match, also emphasised on the importance of Rohit showing up for training and for these matches with the desire to push himself to accomplish his goals. He pointed out that natural talent tends to wane with age, and it will require more effort from the six-time IPL champion to stay at this level.

“Rohit Sharma is clearly going through a phase. He's not the Rohit Sharma of, say, three to four years ago,” explained Manjrekar. “He’s at a stage in his career where he has to push himself every morning—train hard and be at his best—because things are slipping away for him. He's still relying on his natural talent and instincts.”