"I don't know how Mumbai will manage him for the entire season" - Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma ahead of MI's IPL 2025 clash vs SRH

Former India player Aakash Chopra has picked Rohit Sharma's indifferent form as the biggest concern for the Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of their IPL 2025 clash against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). He wondered how the five-time champions would handle their former skipper if his lean run continues.

MI will host SRH in Match 33 of IPL 2025 in Mumbai on Thursday, April 17. With four points from six games, Hardik Pandya and company are placed seventh on the points table and need a few consecutive wins to keep their playoff qualification hopes alive.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener opined that MI's batting order is getting compromised due to Rohit's underwhelming performances, and expressed uncertainty about how the team management would handle the opener if he is not among the runs.

"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," Chopra said (8:20).

"Naman Dhir is batting very well, and Hardik Pandya is also in form. Will Jacks hasn't scored any runs thus far. You pushed him down the order in the last match, but since Rohit Sharma is opening and he is not in form, Naman Dhir goes too low. Rohit Sharma needs to score runs because if he doesn't, I don't know how Mumbai will manage him for the entire season," he added.

Chopra urged Rohit to give himself some time in the middle and not try to play big shots off every delivery.

"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," he observed.

Rohit Sharma has aggregated 56 runs at an average of 11.20 in five innings in IPL 2025. The 18-run knock in the Mumbai Indians' 12-run win in their previous game against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in Delhi on April 13 has been his top score this season.

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"I expect Trent Boult to do better with the new ball here" - Aakash Chopra on MI's bowling ahead of IPL 2025 clash vs SRH

Trent Boult has picked up five wickets at an economy rate of 9.50 in six innings in IPL 2025. [P/C: Getty]

Reflecting on the Mumbai Indians' bowling ahead of their IPL 2025 clash against the SunRisers Hyderabad, Aakash Chopra expressed hope about Trent Boult performing better at the Wankhede Stadium.

"The bowling looked slightly better in the last match. I expect Trent Boult to do better with the new ball here, although he hasn't performed as well this year as you expect him to. Jasprit Bumrah got hit decently in the last match, when Karun Nair ran after him, even though he came back strongly in the last over," he said (10:05).

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that MI's bowling hasn't been as potent as it was expected to be.

"However, there too, Ashutosh Sharma played a scoop shot. What is happening? The bowling is not looking as lethal as we had thought it would be. What's there on paper is not being seen on the ground. That is a problem," Chopra observed.

With 10 scalps at an economy rate of 8.81 in five innings, Hardik Pandya is the Mumbai Indians' highest wicket-taker in IPL 2025. Jasprit Bumrah, who was expected to lead MI's bowling attack, has played only two games, picking up a solitary wicket at an economy rate of 9.12.