"I know I didn't live up to the standard" - Rohit Sharma on his overall batting performances in IPL 2024

Mumbai Indians (MI) opener Rohit Sharma admitted to being below his best with the bat in the 2024 IPL season that saw the side finish at the bottom of the points table. MI played their final outing against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and suffered an 18-run defeat on May 17.

While Rohit finished with a sparkling 38-ball 68 against LSG, it was too little too late to save MI in the game and the season. The champion batter ended his 2024 IPL campaign with 417 runs at an average of 32.07 and a strike rate of 150. Rohit scored 50+ only twice in the season, with both ending in defeats for the side.

Speaking to JioCinema Match Centre Live, Rohit did not want to dwell too much on the below-par season and instead focused on improving.

"As a batter, I know I didn't live up to the standard. But, after playing for all these years, I know that if I overthink, I won't play well. All I try is to stay in a good mindset, in the right zone, keep practicing, and improve on all the flaws in my game. That's all I kept doing," said Rohit.

Rohit also felt MI lost several winnable games that resulted in them finishing as the worst side in the competition.

"Our season didn't go according to plan. We blame ourselves for this because we made too many mistakes during the season. We lost many games that we should have won, but that's the nature of the IPL. You get a few chances and when those chances come, you must grab them," stated Rohit.

Hardik Pandya was traded from the Gujarat Titans (GT) and replaced Rohit as MI skipper ahead of the 2024 season. The side was picked among the favorites for the title based on their squad on paper.

However, a lack of form of key players and disoriented bowling strategies led to MI finishing last on the table for the second time in three years.

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"We knew before the IPL who we would take to the World Cup" - Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma confirmed that the IPL performances had little to do with the Indian squad selection for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and U.S.A.

Team India announced their 15-member squad a couple of weeks back and the selections/exclusions of a few players were speculated to be based on IPL form and performances.

"We thought a lot about the team we ultimately selected for the World Cup. The spinners, seamers, batters, and keepers, we knew before the IPL who we would take to the World Cup. The IPL performances for everyone can be up and down, so we didn't focus too much on that. We needed to see the performances of certain players, but it was important for us to give everyone the clarity they needed," said Rohit.

He added:

"Everyone going into the IPL needed clarity of whether they would participate in the team and what their role would be so they could practice and play accordingly. All of these indicators we had shared with 70% of the team before the IPL."

Led by Rohit Sharma, the Men in Blue will begin the T20 World Cup campaign against the Ireland in New York on June 5.