Mumbai Indians (MI) star Rohit Sharma had high praise for his new opening partner Ryan Rickelton, saying the South African batter works very hard on his game.
Rohit also spoke about his own performance in the 50th match of IPL 2025 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Rohit Sharma Praises Ryan Rickelton’s Hard Work
Rohit Sharma played a smart and controlled innings against the Rajasthan Royals after getting a lucky break in the second over from Fazalhaq Farooqi.
He scored 53 runs off 36 balls, hitting 9 fours but no sixes – a rare sight for one of T20’s top six-hitters. This was only the third time in his career he made a T20 fifty without a six, and the first time in six years.
At the mid-innings break, Rohit said getting a good start was key. Rohit said:
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“It was important to get off to a good start. Looking at a couple of overs, the ball was coming on nicely and we took our chances. Wanted to hit straight as much as possible. It was kind of skidding, we thought that hitting in a straight direction was a good option.”
Speaking about the DRS he took in the second over, Rohit said he took a chance – and luckily, it worked in his favor. He said:
“(On his review) The only thing I was worried about was if it was pitching in line or not, it was a knuckle ball so knew it wouldn’t bounce over. Took my chance and it paid off.”
Ryan Rickelton’s Smart Batting Impresses Rohit
Rohit further praised Ryan Rickelton, saying he understands his game well and picks the right bowlers to attack. He added:
“(Rickelton) Works really hard on his game and understands his game very well. Understands which bowler to target and picks his spot well. If he continues to bat like that, it augurs very well for us. Nice for us to get off to that start.”
Finally, Rohit said the team has many experienced and smart players who understand the game well and know how to handle different situations.
“It’s very important for us to understand the pitch and use the variations. We shouldn’t be predictable and use the longer side well. The guys are pretty experienced in what they do and understand what is expected of them.”
“It’s a good score and we can hopefully defend it. If we get a couple of wickets in the powerplay we can put the brakes on them. If you look at our batting line-up, lot of these guys haven’t batted for a few games. Gives us the confidence to go out there and bat freely. Most often it comes off knowing that we’ve got a strong middle order. Even in the last game, those 30-40 runs by Bosch made a difference.”
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