'Not a crime to be out of form, but ...': Ex-cricketer on Rohit Sharma

NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma’s lackluster start to the

IPL 2025

season has raised eyebrows, and former India women’s captain Anjum Chopra believes it’s having a ripple effect on Mumbai Indians’ campaign.
The Hardik Pandya-led MI have won just two of their six matches so far and currently sit seventh on the points table. Rohit, meanwhile, has scores of 0, 8, 13, 17, and 18 — figures that have pushed him into an "

Impact Player

" role rather than his usual starting XI slot.
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"You can be out of form. It's not a crime to be out of form. The only idea is that it's not helping, it's not setting the start that Mumbai Indians were looking for or are looking for right at the top," Anjum told PTI Videos in an exclusive interaction on Tuesday.

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She suggested that MI might consider pushing Rohit down the order to relieve pressure and spark a turnaround.

"They have options. They can always look at pushing Rohit Sharma down the order... It's just that sometimes you don't start the tournament on that good a note and it can affect you as a batter," she added.
Despite the poor start, Anjum remains confident in Rohit’s pedigree: "He hasn’t got that kind of a start, but we know what kind of a match-winner he is."