It was the final league game for Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the Playoffs, but Rohit Sharma struggled to find his rhythm in their clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS). Though both teams have already secured Playoff spots, the match holds significance as the Top 2 positions in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 are still undecided.
Given the importance of the match, many expected opener Rohit Sharma to go all guns blazing at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. However, it just wasn't his day, as he was dismissed for 24 off 21 balls 〞 thanks to a spectacular catch by Nehal Wadhera.
Punjab needed a breakthrough, and Harpreet Brar delivered. The 'Hitman' made room and attempted to go down the ground but failed to get it off the middle of the bat. The ball flew towards long-on, where Wadhera charged in and bent forward to complete a superb low catch. The ball was dipping rapidly, but he managed to hold on and tumble over, making it one of the finest catches of the season.
Soon after the wicket fell, X (formerly known as Twitter) was flooded with reactions, with many pointing out that Rohit Sharma's form has dipped since his retirement from Test cricket. Some even called for his retirement from the IPL.
One user said, "Rohit Sharma after retirement from Test cricket:
? 5(5) vs DC
? 24(21) vs PBKS"
Another commented, "Nehal Wadhera is a top-class fielder."
One wrote, "Kaun sa format khel raha tha Rohit Sharma?" (Translation: Which format was Rohit Sharma playing?)
Another posted, "MI retain Tilak Verma & release Nehal Wadhera."
And one added, "Rohit Sharma showed his Test cricket batting skills for one last time for his fans. Legend."
Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Priyansh Arya, Josh Inglis(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Arshdeep Singh
Impact Subs: Prabhsimran Singh, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlet, Musheer Khan
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton(w), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Subs: Karn Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Satyanarayana Raju??