[Watch] MI captain Rohit Sharma's stunning direct hit catches Krishnappa Gowtham short of his crease in IPL 2023 Eliminator
Rohit Sharma led his team from the front on the field in the IPL 2023 Eliminator match against the Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday, May 24. The Mumbai Indians captain executed a magnificent direct hit to help his side pick up the big wicket of Krishnappa Gowtham.
During the 13th over of the Lucknow Super Giants' innings, Gowtham cut a ball from Piyush Chawla to the point. The ball went to Cameron Green at that position, who dived to stop the ball and then pushed it towards Rohit Sharma at short extra cover. Gowtham wanted a single, and his partner Deepak Hooda initially showed interest before declining the run.
Sharma quickly picked up the ball and threw it towards the striker's end. It was a direct hit from the Mumbai Indians captain, and Krishnappa Gowtham was caught way out of his crease. You can watch the video of the dismissal here:
Apart from Gowtham's dismissal, Rohit was also involved in Deepak Hooda's run-out. Just a few deliveries later, Naveen-ul-Haq tapped a ball from Akash Madhwal towards the off-side.
There was some confusion between Hooda and Naveen. Both ended up being on the same end. Rohit quickly ran towards the non-striker's end, collected the ball well from the fielder, and uprooted the stumps to send Hooda back to the dressing room.
Can Rohit Sharma lead Mumbai Indians to their 7th IPL final?
Mumbai Indians secured a place in the Qualifier 2 match of IPL 2023 with a big 81-run win against the Lucknow Super Giants last night. MI will square off against defending champions Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 on Friday evening at the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium.
GT and MI have clashed twice this season. While Mumbai won the match at the Wankhede Stadium, Gujarat emerged victorious at the Narendra Modi Stadium. It will be interesting to see which team joins the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2023 Final.