Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India]: Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja praised Mumbai Indians (MI) opener Rohit Sharma for his “adaptive approach” after a dominant performance helped MI secure a 100-run win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur on Thursday.
Rohit, along with Ryan Rickelton, set the platform with a 116-run opening stand. Sharma’s composed 53 off 36 balls marked a strong comeback after a slow start to the season. MI, peaking at the right time, clinched their sixth consecutive win over RR and now sit at the top of the points table.
“Mumbai would love to have Rohit Sharma scoring consistently,” said Jadeja on ‘Match Centre Live’ on JioHotstar. “Today, he showed great experience. Despite a cautious start, they reached 58/0 in six overs. It was smart cricket based on pitch conditions.”
After Rickelton (61) and Rohit (53) departed, Suryakumar Yadav (48* off 23) and skipper Hardik Pandya (48* off 23) powered MI to 217/2. RR, in reply, crumbled to 117 all out, with Jofra Archer top-scoring at 30. MI’s bowling unit, led by Karn Sharma (3/23) and Trent Boult (3/28), was relentless. Jasprit Bumrah was equally effective, conceding just 15 runs and taking two wickets in his four overs.
Rickelton was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his explosive innings.
Jadeja also reflected on RR’s campaign, noting that apart from their standout win against Gujarat Titans, the season has been bleak. He highlighted the lack of contributions beyond a few players, with captain Sanju Samson’s injury compounding their woes.
With this victory, MI now have 14 points from 11 matches (7 wins, 4 losses), while RR are virtually out of playoff contention, languishing in eighth place with just six points from 11 games (3 wins, 8 losses).