T20 World Cup 2022: Rohit Sharma's 2013 MI vs Team India


image-l942p38fRohit Sharma has been the most succeful skipper in the history for IPL (Source: OneCricket)

Rohit Sharma's first assignment as a skipper in the Indian Premier League (IPL) ended successfully as he took over from Ricky Pointing & helped Mumbai Indians clinch their first ever IPL title. 

Now, Rohit has taken over the reigns from Virat Kohli & is all set for his first major ICC tournament as India gear up for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Expectations are high despite the injury bruises that the team has seen in the name of Jadeja & Bumrah.

John C. Maxwell said, "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way." The question is can Rohit be that for this Indian team? 

A Young Rohit Sharma lead an experienced Mumbai Indians to their first ever IPL crown, Can the 'Hitman' repeat the same with Team India? 

Mumbai Indians 2013 vs Team India 2022

Here is a comparison between his MI XI from 2013 & Team India that he will lead in his first ICC main event. It is all hypothetical but it is worth a try because eventually the result will decide how close these teams actually are. 

The Top Order

Dwayne Smith (8.5) vs KL Rahul (8.5)

Two players who love to take the game to the opposition. Dwayne & KL seem to be even on various grounds, the style of play, aggression and even their major weakness which is a ball that nips back in sharply.

Sachin Tendulkar (8.5) vs Rohit Sharma (9)

Sachin 'The God of Cricket' endured a poor outing in 2013 according to his lofty standards but his mere pressence in the XI uplifts those around him. Rohit Sharma 'Hitman' hasn't had the best of times either but he still has the edge.

Dinesh Karthik (8.5) vs Virat Kohli (9)

Karthik was the second highest run scorer for Mumbai Indians back then but with Kohli back in form one has to give it to the King. Both are anchors but Kohli has a lot more in his arsenal than DK did back then.

The Enforcers

Rohit Sharma (9.5) vs Suryakumar Yadav (9.5)

Rohit Sharma was the highest run scorer for Mumbai Indians in 2013, up against him is Suryakumar Yadav who is currently India's best in T20Is. SKY has been the highest run scorer in T20Is for India in 2022 as a result he is on par with Rohit.

Ambati Rayudu (8) vs Hardik Pandya (9)

While you might wonder why Pandya isn't up against Pollard, my explanation will be the roles are different. Pandya is not the out and out finisher, he has responsibilty of handling situations and then finish games. Rayudu's role was similar but he can't come close to Pandya who is India's go to men alongside SKY.

The Finishers

Kieron Pollard (9.5) vs Dinesh Karthik (8.5)

The battle of the out and out finishers, DK vs KP. The fact that Pollard was MI's best player that season and he did it in two departments gives him the edge. I will have to mention that DK 'The Finisher' has also proven his quality but he still falls short of Pollard at his prime.

Harbhajan Singh (9) vs  Axar Patel (8)

The battle of two outstanding spinners. Back in the day Harbhajan was the game changer and in 2013 he batted with a strike rate of over 140 which gives him the edge. Axar has been good in the recent past but he is nowhere close to Turbanator.

The Backbone

Mitchell Johnson (9) vs Mohammad Shami (8)

Shami has been preferred in the T20Is by Team India in the recent past and he hasn't had enough game time as a result he lacks behind Johnson who was sensational in 2013.

Dhawal Kulkarni (7.5) vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar (8)

Kulkarni was the weakest piece in the MI jigsaw in 2013 but he still managed to have a decent season. Bhuvi on the other hand is India's main man with the ball, his recent form has resulted in a dip but he still can deliver.

Lasith Malinga (9.5) vs Arshdeep Singh (8.5)

If Sachin is the 'God of Cricket' then probably Malinga is the 'God of Death Bowling', no one is close to the Sri Lankan legend. Arshdeep has been sensational post that drop catch against Pakistan but he still is a work in progress.

Pragyan Ojha (8.5) vs Yuzvendra Chahal (8.5)

Two spinners who are a certainty in the XI, two wicket-takers who do the damage in the middle over. Chahal has had a rough patch but the leggy is too good to rule out and as per the expectations he can do what Ojha did in 2013.

Mumbai Indians (96) vs Team India (94.5)

Out of a total of 110 points, the 2013 Mumbai Indians team gets 96 points and in comparision Team India get 94.5. Doesn't look like a big difference but believe me it is a massive difference.

he presence of Bumrah & Jadeja would have helped Team India jump upto 96.5 but since they are not here we are pretty much that this Rohit Sharma team is not as strong as his 2013 MI, but they can surley level things up if a few players play out of their skins. 


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