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Former India and Kolkata Knight Riders batter Manoj Tiwary criticised the Mumbai Indians think-tank for not making full use of former captain Rohit Sharma’s cricketing smarts in the right way.
He criticised MI for using Rohit Sharma as only an Impact Player and not having him out on the field. Tiwary said that an experienced skipper like Rohit should not have to sit in the dugout.
Tiwary’s comments came after MI’s loss to KKR on Wednesday.
KKR keep playoffs hopes alive after win over MI
On a rainy night with a damp pitch, the bowlers made merry at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday. KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane chose to bowl first, and the results were instantaneous.
Cameron Green dismissed Ryan Rickelton and Naman Dhir in the third over. Left-arm seamer Saurabh Dubey too dismissed Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav within the powerplay to leave MI at 46/4 in the powerplay.
Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya were unable to generate any sort of momentum at all from the innings. Sunil Narine did Sunil Narine things as his four overs went for just 13 runs and the wicket of Pandya for 26 runs off 27 balls.
Varma was dismissed by Kartik Tyagi after making 20 runs in 32 balls. Corbin Bosch made an unbeaten 32 to give MI a fighting total of 147.
MI’s bowlers enjoyed bowling on that surface, especially with Test match fields in the first few overs. Deepak Chahar dismissed Finn Allen in the very first over.
Manish Pandey came out to bat for the first time this season and was slotted at No. 3. He weathered the early storm and put up a partnership of 38 with Rahane. Bosch returned to remove both Rahane and Cameron Green in quick succession.
Pandey then put up 64 with Rovman Powell before being dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah. Powell, Tejasvi Dahiya, and Rinku Singh then saw the chase through. Pandey won the Player of the Match award for his 45 runs from 33 balls.
“Why do you make Rohit Sharma sit in the dugout?” – Manoj Tiwary
After the match, Tiwary spoke to Cricbuzz and shared his opinions on Rohit Sharma constantly sitting out of the field.
Ever since he was sacked as captain in 2024, swapping Rohit Sharma in or out for the Impact Player has been a common strategy in MI. It’s not happened in all the matches, but it has happened in most of them.
This has meant that Rohit has sat out of the field many a time, which Tiwary seemed to disapprove of.
“MI are keeping the wrong players in the wrong position on the field for fielding. Today, we saw Corbin Bosch at slip dropping a catch, then, before that, Naman Dhir also dropped one against PBKS. I keep coming back to the same point. When you have an experienced player like Rohit Sharma in your camp, who has been captain, then you don’t have to worry about the slip region. Rohit can catch those, right?”
“If Hardik needs help in captaincy, then he can do that as well. So, why is he not being utilised? Why do you make Rohit Sharma sit in the dugout? I am unable to understand that,” Tiwary said.
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“I am 200% sure they will have a new captain next year” – Tiwary on Mumbai Indians
Manoj Tiwary also criticised the Mumbai Indians for tarnishing Rohit Sharma’s legacy as captain. Before IPL 2024, the Mumbai Indians had traded in Hardik Pandya from the Gujarat Titans to replace Rohit as MI captain.
In 2024, MI finished 10th but made the playoffs in 2025. This year, the five-time champions are on track to finish in the bottom two once again. All five of MI’s trophies were under Sharma’s captaincy.
“Rohit Sharma is watching his legacy crumble before his own eyes over the last three years, and that is reflected through his expressions as well from the dugout. He knows that if I had been there, I would not have made that decision. Even back then, I had said that removing him was the wrong call, and you can see the results now.”
“They have just qualified once in the last 3 years. So, I am 200 percent sure that we will see a new captain next season, whether it be Surya or Bumrah,” Tiwary added.
