‘Hasn’t done the job that…’ – Former India batter expresses concerns about two players ahead of MI vs SRH clash on Thursday

Former India batter Aakash Chopra has expressed concerns about two players ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 game on Thursday. Mumbai Indians (MI) are set to host Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Wankhede Stadium. Both sides have played six games and won two matches and accumulated four points each. 

One of the players that Chopra has raised concerns about his former MI skipper Rohit Sharma. The 37-year-old hasn’t been able to cross 20 this season and is under bad patch of form with the bat. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said that Rohit’s lack of form with the bat could hurt Mumbai Indians in the game against Hyderabad. 

The 47-year-old said, “Mumbai's big problem is that the batting order is not getting set properly, and it is because Rohit Sharma is not scoring runs. If Rohit Sharma doesn't score runs, the batting order starts creaking. You don't understand whom to send when. Ryan Rickelton, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma are batting decently."

Further speaking about Rohit Sharma, the former India opener said, “Rohit Sharma is a very big player and bats incredibly well, and I would once again say that when the good times didn't last, the bad times won't as well. However, he will have to give himself a little time, because, as of now, he is continuously hitting shot after shot. He was batting well in the last match, but got out there too."

'Worried about his form' – Aakash Chopra makes huge statement on SRH youngster 

Yet another player that was highlighted by Aakash Chopra is young Nitish Kumar Reddy who hasn’t had a great campaign so far. Reddy has been struggling for form with the bat and hasn’t been given a chance to bowl so far this year. The youngster had a great IPL 2024 which earned him a spot in the Indian team. 

Aakash Chopra said, “The batting has come in form, but I am slightly worried about Nitish Kumar Reddy because he hasn't scored runs, and the strike rate is also very low. He hasn't done the job that you expect from him. Of course, he wasn't needed in the last match as Abhishek Sharma alone shook the world.”

“So he wasn't in focus that much, but the runs not coming from Nitish Kumar Reddy's bat is a concern, and that needs to change. When Ishan Kishan comes here, he will remember that he used to be in the Mumbai team. He will like this pitch," The former Indian batter further added.