IPL 2022: Has Team India captaincy duties given Rohit mental strain? Graeme Smith wonders

It has been a tumultuous start for the record five-time former champion Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). Having played four matches so far, MI is winless in all of them as it prepares for an exciting encounter against a relentless Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Wednesday. Meanwhile, former South African skipper Graeme Smith has analysed that the Team India captaincy duties might have already given MI skipper Rohit Sharma mental strain.

Speaking to cricket.com, Smith stated that Rohit is a vital player for MI, while besides its captain, he is also an outstanding batter who is yet to find his form in IPL 2022. He lauded MI's strong batting line-up, especially Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. He backed veteran all-rounder Kieron Pollard as a finisher, alongside Dewald Brevis.

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"Rohit is the energy at the top of the order. It gets them off to a start and sets up the game that allows everyone else to play. When he is scoring runs, MI will win a lot of the time. It is the first tournament he captains MI since becoming India's white-ball captain. Does that mental strain take a toll in the IPL? It's something to consider," assessed Smith.

On the other hand, Smith also spoke on PBKS skipper Mayank Agarwal and reckoned that he needed to find balance as a captain and a batter. He feels that Mayank cannot brood upon the fielding or bowling mistakes while batting and needs to focus on the task. Also, Smith warned about handling the pressure as the captain.

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"He [Mayank] has got to find a way to cope with the pressure that it doesn't affect his natural game because Punjab needs him at the top. Like Rohit, he's their kick-starter, match-winner. So, he is got to take all those concoctions and find methods to deal with them to perform," added Smith.