As India’s illustrious opening pair reunited for the crucial 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) match between the Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the I.S. Bindra Punjab Cricket Association in Mohali, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan had some amusing banter at the toss.
Rohit and Shikhar were spotted talking and having a good time after the MI captain won the toss. Everyone was intrigued by the conversation between the two veteran Indian cricket players, so analyst Anjali Chopra immediately questioned the 36-year-old about it. Rohit clarified that he had consulted the domestic captain for advice.
‘Have chased down targets pretty well, so will stick to our strength’ – Rohit Sharma
“I asked Shikhar Dhawan what to do. He said bowl first, so we will bowl first,” Rohit said after winning the toss. “It’s a good pitch; we have chased down targets pretty well, so will stick to our strength. You always want to have a score in front of you on such pitches,” Rohit added.
Riley Meridith could not start; therefore, MI changed one player in their starting lineup. As a result, MI only had three foreign players on the pitch, while uncapped pacer Akash Madwal made his professional debut. Although Suryakumar Yadav was left off the starting lineup, he will almost certainly make a big impact. Dewald Brevis or Tristan Stubbs might have been used by MI because there were only three foreign players on the pitch, but they opted to stick with their tried-and-true batting choices.
Sikandar Raza, who was the hero in PBKS’ victory over CSK on Sunday at Chepauk, was left off, resulting in significant lineup changes. Kagiso Rababa had nowhere to go since Nathan Ellis was about to enter as the impact sub. Additionally, Matthew Short was added to the team, replacing Atharva Taide. PBKS got off to a fast start, scoring 50 runs in the powerplay while only losing one wicket.
Here’s how fans reacted to Rohit Sharma’s statements:
Phir se bhool gya hoga
— Narayan Kumar🇮🇳 (@Narayan54437964) May 3, 2023
Ye hai hamara captain jisse mujhe WC ki ummeed hai😭😭😭
— AnuragKetchup (@anuragkechup) May 3, 2023
Tera to game ho gaya re baba
— N I K H I L (@nikhilkalavale) May 3, 2023
Shikhar dhawan to Rohit sarma pic.twitter.com/spEOgI0B81
— chitranjan singh (@chitran44103671) May 3, 2023
*Chad Rohit be like: Aaj koi umpire kharidne ka nahi bhaukega 😂😂🔥
— Syed Murtaza Abbas [Zain] (@murtaza_8899) May 3, 2023
Dhawan jhanta tha ye confuse hai isiliye usko galt bata diya😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/wjDHNmXZmJ
— Aarav Dwivedi🎭 (@aaravdwivedii) May 3, 2023
Rohit during toss 😂💙 pic.twitter.com/04l94LBDRP
— Michael Scarn (@SampathKumar_45) May 3, 2023
Ye aadmi mast hai re 😂😂😂
— Pooh (@ThodaYehThodaWo) May 3, 2023
