Rohit's injury absence cost MI, says Harbhajan after win over LSG

Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh feels Rohit Sharma could have changed Mumbai Indians’ season if he had returned from injury earlier. Rohit made a strong comeback against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium, playing a match-winning knock that helped Mumbai comfortably chase down a big target. Harbhajan said Rohit’s presence on the field made a huge difference to the struggling side and eased pressure on the rest of the batting lineup.

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“It’s important to be in the middle. You can do only so much sitting in the dugout. But you can make a difference by being in the middle, and Rohit Sharma did exactly that. You needed that foundation to chase down that many runs, and he didn’t just lay the foundation, but built a couple of floors on it as well, leaving very little for the rest to do,” Harbhajan told JioStar. Harbhajan praised Rohit’s innings and said it would have been even better if he had completed a century. He also believed Mumbai Indians suffered during Rohit’s absence, especially during their losing run earlier in the season. “It would have been even better if he had got his hundred, but for the time he was there, he played exceptionally well,” he added. “I wish his injury had healed a little earlier; who knows, they might have won a game or two during that losing streak and would have still been alive in the competition,” he noted. Despite a difficult season, Harbhajan believes Mumbai still have a slim chance of reaching the playoffs if they keep winning and other results favour them. “They will give themselves a chance if they win every game from here and get to 14 points. Who knows, if other teams start losing, there could be a net run-rate situation at 14 points, anything can happen,” he said.

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