Published 13:31 IST, November 11th 2020
Vaughan wants Rohit Sharma to be India's T20 skipper, claims it'll offer breather to Kohli
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan backed Rohit Sharma to be named India's T20 skipper after the Hitman led Mumbai to their fifth IPL title on Tuesday
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan backed Rohit Sharma to be named India's T20 skipper after the Hitman led Mumbai to their fifth IPL title on Tuesday. The Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai decimated IPL final debutants Delhi with a five-wicket win, completing four back-to-back victories over Shreyas Iyer & co. Rohit Sharma's sublime form in the finals alongside his leadership ability backed by his track record for Mumbai in the IPL got the fans buzzing after Mumbai lifted the trophy, with many former cricketers and fans naming Rohit Sharma as their preferred T20 skipper.
Vaughan wants Rohit Sharma as India's T20 skipper 'without doubt'
Calling Rohit Sharma a 'fantastic man-manager & leader', Michael Vaughan pointed out that the Hitman knew how exactly to win games for his side and that he should be India's next T20 skipper 'without a doubt'. Further, Vaughan also opined that Rohit Sharma as the T20 skipper would lift the load of Virat Kohli's shoulders and allow him to focus on becoming a better player. Vaughan highlighted that this method of split captaincy and taking the pressure of star players worked well with teams all around the world.
Virender Sehwag hailed Mumbai as the best T20 franchisee in the world and called Rohit Sharma the best captain in the T20 format. Sehwag pointed out that Mumbai were 'well deserved' to win the marquee tournament - given their solid run throughout IPL 2020. Sehwag also hailed the organisation of the IPL despite challenging situations including the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Rohit Sharma anchors Mumbai's run chase
Delhi were reduced to 22/3 after winning the toss and electing to bat first in their maiden final appearance. Skipper Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant then added 96 runs for the fourth-wicket stand. Skipper Iyer remained unbeaten and played a crucial knock of a 50-ball 65 as Delhi finished their innings at 156/7 from their 20 overs.
In reply, Iyer's opposite number Rohit Sharma successfully anchored Mumbai's run chase as he toyed around with the Delhi bowlers by smashing them to all parts of the ground. The 'Hitman' played a spectacular knock of a 51-ball 68 at a strike rate of 133.33 including five boundaries and four maximums. Apart from anchoring the innings, the elegant opener was also involved in a couple of good partnerships with his opening partner Quinton de Kock & Suryakumar Yadav. When Rohit was eventually dismissed in the 17th over it appeared that Delhi would somehow stage a comeback in the contest but it was not to be as Ishan Kishan and Krunal Pandya helped the reigning champions cross the finish line with 8 balls to spare.
Updated 13:31 IST, November 11th 2020