Mark Boucher backs Rohit Sharma to deliver a 'big score'
What's the story
Former Mumbai Indians (MI) coach Mark Boucher has opined that a big knock from Rohit Sharma is just around the corner.
Despite a sluggish start to IPL 2025, Rohit has been showing glimpses of his brilliance in the last few games.
His explosive performance against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), where he smashed three sixes and looked in good touch, helped MI clinch their third win this season.
Here's more.
Aggressive mindset
Boucher praises Rohit's aggressive approach
Speaking to JioHotstar, Boucher lauded Rohit for his aggressive mindset against the bowlers.
He praised the former MI captain's attitude and said he applied pressure on the SRH bowlers while scoring runs.
"Rohit Sharma took it upon himself to go after the bowlers," said Boucher. "We saw some good old-fashioned Rohit Sharma sixes - big ones too. I liked his attitude."
Performance analysis
Boucher predicts a big score from Rohit son
Boucher added that once Rohit gets past 30, a big score is likely to follow.
"A big score is coming very soon. He's looking in that zone again," he added.
Notably, Rohit has only scored 82 runs in six matches for MI this season, with his highest being 26 against SRH.
Despite an average of 13.67, he has maintained a strike-rate of 143.86.
Shared opinion
Clarke echoes Boucher's sentiments
Former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke also echoed Boucher's sentiments after the match against SRH.
He said Rohit isn't far away from a big score.
"But seeing that tells me he knows he's hitting the ball well, he's not far away," said Clarke.
"He has to play like this because it's best for the team and the team always comes first."
Struggle
IPL 2025 has been a struggle for Rohit
Rohit's struggles this season have been reflected in his poor scores.
In MI's opening match against Chennai Super Kings, Rohit's performance was disappointing as he was dismissed for a four-ball duck.
He then followed it with a string of low scores this season, including 8, 13, 17 and 18 in earlier matches.
However, he got off to a good start against SRH, scoring his season best of 26 runs, until he was dismissed by Pat Cummins.
Numbers
Rohit has a strike rate of 131.29 in IPL
Across 262 IPL matches, the veteran batter has amassed 6,710 runs.
He has an average of 29.30 and a strike rate of 131.29 alongside two tons and 43 fifties.
Rohit also boasts a high score of 109*, including 605 fours and 286 sixes.
Notably, he is the third-highest run-scorer in IPL history behind Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan.
The batter is also the highest run scorer for MI, having smashed 5,540 runs across 214 innings.