Rohit Sharma joins MS Dhoni and Darren Sammy in the 200-match captaincy club for T20s
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma is captaining a T20 match for the 200th time as the Mumbai Indians (MI) take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2023. He became only the third player to lead a team in 200 T20 matches, after T20 World Cup-winning captains MS Dhoni (307) and Darren Sammy (208).
The current India skipper led the Mumbai Indians to five titles between 2013 and 2020. He also captained the side to a title run in the now-defunct Champions League T20 in 2013. Rohit has captained the Mumbai Indians in 148 matches and has won 83 of them, with a winning percentage of 57.
Rohit Sharma has also captained the Indian team in 51 T20Is and has won 39 of them, with an impressive winning percentage of 76.5. He led the Men in Blue to the semifinals at the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia last year. The 35-year-old is now the captain of Team India in all formats.
Speaking at the toss, Rohit Sharma said he is honored to achieve this feat and looked forward to many more.
"Exciting, I am really honored and grateful as well. It's been a long journey and it's something I will cherish. Look forward to playing many more games and hopefully we can achieve what we want to achieve."
Rohit is also just 121 runs away from becoming the third batsman to reach 6000 runs in IPL history. The Mumbai Indians finished bottom of the table a year ago and will be hoping for their skipper to lead from the front and turn the tables this season.
"It is going to be a mother of all contests in the TATA IPL 2023 so far" - Harbhajan Singh ahead of MI vs. RCB
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes that the MI-RCB clash at the Chinnaswamy Stadium will be the match of the IPL so far. He also said that the battle between the last two India captains, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, adds spice to the contest.
Speaking on the Star Sports network ahead of the match, Harbhajan said:
"RCB vs MI match is going to be the biggest match of TATA IPL 2023 so far because two superstars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be up against each other. Add to it the electrifying atmosphere at Chinnaswamy. It couldn't get better than this."
The former Mumbai Indians captain also added:
"Fans can't afford to miss it as 200-plus runs can be scored in the first innings and it could be chased down as well. So, it is going to be a mother of all contests in the TATA IPL 2023 so far."
Former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis believes MI will be under more pressure due to the noise at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
"M Chinnaswamy is a noisy stadium. It's a small ground. The opposition feels the pressure here as the crowd is on top of you. It's tough for the visiting teams here. It's great to have such passionate home fans. I can't wait to watch this game."
Mumbai Indians have not won their opening fixture of the IPL since the 2012 season. The team will want to break that streak as they look to get back on track after a disappointing last two seasons.