「koi matlab nahi …」rohit sharar

Rohit Sharma appears to be two different players – a dominant force in international cricket for Team India, but a shadow of himself in the IPL. Yes, the Mumbai Indians (MI) superstar may have arrested his form in the recent IPL 2025 matches, but as an overall IPL batter, Rohit has never been the all-time great. Many fans have often questioned Rohit’s returns in the cash-rich league. However, now, the newly turned 38-year-old has hit back at his critics and has offered a larger perspective on his idea of Rohit, the IPL batter.

Impact over “needless” bulk of runs, wishes Rohit

Speaking candidly on journalist Vimal Kumar’s YouTube channel, Rohit addressed the long-standing scrutiny over his IPL numbers. “Now, I’m an Impact sub, so I have to play ‘impactful’ innings,” he said. “My aim has never really been to score an x amount of runs in an IPL. I try to win matches. 600, 700 or 800 runs don’t matter if you don’t win trophies.”

The former Mumbai Indians captain has put forward his plan to only look for ‘impactful’ innings rather than mustering runs that might not exactly help his side win matches. It is a similar approach that has taken a front seat in his international career as well, where Rohit has always batted for an intent-driven approach rather than playing just to make runs for himself.

It’s not the first time Rohit has voiced this sentiment, but rarely has he been this direct. Reflecting on India’s 2019 ODI World Cup campaign — where he scored five centuries but failed to reach the final — Rohit underlined the futility of personal milestones in a losing campaign. “I learnt this in a hard way at the 2019 ODI World Cup. If I don’t reach the finals in a tournament, what would I do with those 500-600 runs?”

“At the same time, I won’t say that my 20-30 runs lead to wins. My focus remains where I can contribute to help my team. Whenever the Mumbai Indians have won a trophy, no MI player has won the Orange Cap that year. So, there’s a reason behind it.”

Tale of 2 Rohit Sharmas – for India & for Indians

Despite his emphasis on “impact”, Rohit’s individual returns in the IPL have undeniably dwindled over the years. Since 2020, his average stands at 25.92 with a strike rate of 134.65 — figures that pale in comparison to his international numbers in the same period.

As seen in the table above, Rohit just doesn’t dominate in the IPL. Fans cannot put faith in him in the IPL which isn’t the case when it comes to international cricket. To give context, Rohit played 55 innings for India in T20Is from 2020 until his retirement in 2024. He scored 1598 runs at an average of 35 (well above 25.92) and at a strike rate of 145.53 (well above 134.65).

So why the IPL inconsistency? It’s not a question of skill — Rohit remains one of the most technically gifted openers of his generation. Instead, it might just be one of those enduring cricketing mysteries.

Besides, Rohit’s ODI numbers have been mind-boggling as well in the same period. He has hammered 2224 runs at 47.31 and 112.83 across 51 one-day innings. For a player of his talent, you’d expect Rohit to club elite bowlers for fun in the IPL. Being an opener and playing most of his matches on batting-friendly grounds, Rohit hasn’t justified himself in the cash-rich league despite being the second highest run-getter in history (6868 runs).