Mumbai Indians' struggle to find strong starts has been a telling factor for them this season, reckons Aakash Chopra.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra said that the Mumbai Indians (MI) are missing their star opener Rohit Sharma, currently out due to a hamstring injury and the rest of the batting lineup needs to step up during big run-chases.
MI's batting woes continued as they witnessed two collapses, first reduced to 11/3 and then sank from 84/3 to 104 all out while chasing 208 runs against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, registering their fifth loss of the season. This is MI's biggest defeat at home and their third successive loss at a once-unbreachable fortress.
Rohit faced a hamstring issue against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), walking off after scoring 19* in 13 balls, and has since missed three matches. In four matches this season, Rohit has scored 137 runs at an average of 45.66 and a strike rate of over 165, with a fifty to his name.
Speaking on Star Sports' Cricket Live, JioStar expert Chopra said that MI is struggling to find strong starts during big chases and failing to contain the leakage of runs by their bowling line-up.
"They have certainly missed Rohit Sharma. Without strong starts, chasing totals in the 210-220 range becomes very difficult. Suryakumar Yadav (156 runs in seven matches at an average of 22.28 and a strike rate of 141, with a fifty) and Hardik Pandya (97 in six matches at an average of 19.40 and a strike rate of over 140) have not contributed enough so far.
"While there have been positives like Tilak Varma's hundred, the rest of the batting unit needs to step up. On the bowling side, apart from Jasprit Bumrah, most bowlers have been leaking runs. Ghazanfar has been consistent but needs better support from the rest," he said.