Former Indian captain Anil Kumble believes that Rohit Sharma‘s current form will make every team think twice before going up against the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. In Mumbai’s opening match, Rohit Sharma played a blazing knock of 78 runs, which played a crucial role in chasing a mammoth total of 221 in just 19.1 overs.
This innings proved that Rohit hasn’t just come to participate; he has come to dominate the tournament. With a display of iconic shots full of class, fans witnessed a glimpse of the younger Rohit Sharma from a decade ago. Notably, he also surpassed his own fastest IPL fifty, previously scored in 25 balls against the Chennai Super Kings in 2015. It is quite clear that he has utilized his time well and returned with a renewed approach, aiming to help MI clinch their sixth coveted IPL title.
Is this Rohit Sharma 2.0?
Rohit Sharma is considered one of the most destructive batters in world cricket. With three double centuries in ODIs and five T20I hundreds to his name, his legacy is already well-established. In the IPL, he is among the elite group of batters who have scored over 6000 runs and remains one of the Mumbai Indians’ top performers over the years.
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Speaking about his form, Anil Kumble said: “Rohit Sharma seems to have arrived in his 2.0 avatar, and his innings showed that he is ready to dominate again.”
The way he batted made it feel like watching a younger version of the Indian captain, fitter, smarter, and more dangerous than ever.
What’s the secret behind Rohit Sharma’s strong performance?
Rohit has been away from international cricket since the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2025, after which he announced his retirement alongside Virat Kohli. This break gave him much-needed time to rest, self-analyze, and work on his game, something that is clearly reflecting in his current performances.
Kumble further highlighted the improvement in Rohit’s fitness and overall gameplay: “It is not easy to hit sixes against bowlers like Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Blessing Muzarabani, but he made it look easy. He has worked a lot on his fitness… when you come back after a short break, it takes time to find rhythm.”
“This was a fantastic innings… the six-hitting looked easy, and even though the boundaries were small, those shots were going into the stands. This knock shows that Rohit means business, and this version of him will worry all IPL teams,” he added.
Did KKR miss a trick with Sunil Narine?
While praising Rohit Sharma, Anil Kumble also criticized the Kolkata Knight Riders management for not utilizing Sunil Narine effectively.
He pointed out that Narine was not used in the powerplay, a strategy that has worked well for KKR in the past. Kumble suggested that if captain Ajinkya Rahane had introduced Narine earlier, the outcome could have been different, especially considering Narine’s strong record against MI and Rohit in the powerplay.
“KKR are relying too much on Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, and Narine did not even complete his quota, which was surprising. The disappointing part was that Ajinkya Rahane did not bring him on in the Powerplay,” Kumble said.
“By the time Narine came on, the damage was already done… they need to use their resources better. When you have two world-class spinners, you need to use them well,” he added.
After losing their first game against Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders will be playing against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on 2nd March at Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
Also read: Rohit Sharma will perform better than Virat Kohli in IPL 2026, claims South Africa GOAT