Mumbai Indians (MI) are one step away from reaching their seventh Indian Premier League (IPL) final after defeating Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator on Wednesday to face Gujarat Titans in the second qualifier on Friday.
Nehal Wadhera and Akash Madhwal were crucial to MI's victory against the Super Giants. The former came on as an impact sub in the first innings to help the Indians put up a winning total, while the latter's spectacular five-wicket haul helped them defend it successfully.
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Speaking to India Today, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar stated that MI skipper Rohit Sharma should be given credit for his decisions during the game and his trust in these players.
'Rohit should get as much credit as Dhoni'- Gavaskar
Gavaskar remarked that Rohit's captaincy is often not given the respect it deserves, considering the players he has helped develop and the fact he has helped the Indians win five IPL titles. He said that if Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni had been the one who entrusted Madhwal when he put up an excellent display, people would have been giving him more credit than what the MI skipper is receiving.
"If that had been CSK and Dhoni was the captain. Everybody would have said 'Dhoni plotted Nicholas Pooran's dismissal. This is what happens to a great extent. There is also a little bit of hype, things sometimes work out. What I am saying is Rohit Sharma did not get the credit for telling Madhwal to bowl round the wicket," said Gavaskar.
He added that Rohit's great captaincy could be seen in how he made the unusual decision to use a batter in Wadhera as an impact substitute when they were batting first, which helped MI eventually get the victory.
"The captaincy situation as well. Remember, Nehal Wadhera was used as an impact player batting first. Teams generally don't use batters as Impact Player when they are batting first. But Rohit used Nehwal when MI were batting first against LSG. So please give him credit for that as well," stated the cricket legend.
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What is Rohit’s captaincy record in IPL Playoffs?
Under Rohit's leadership, Mumbai Indians have won all five finals that they've reached.
Rohit has captained in 13 playoff games, with MI winning 10 and losing just three. He has a playoffs/finals win percentage of 76.92%.
| Playoffs Matches as Captain | Won | Lost | Win % | Titles Won |
| 14 | 11 | 3 | 78.57% | 5 |
