Jonty Rhodes, the LSG fielding coach, spoke in detail about Rohit Sharma’s future in IPL as speculations continue over his potential MI departure.
Jonty Rhodes, the fielding coach for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), addressed the swirling rumours surrounding India captain Rohit Sharma’s potential move away from Mumbai Indians ahead of the upcoming IPL 2025 season. As the mega auction looms closer, speculation continues to mount about Rohit’s future in the IPL, with many suggesting he might part ways with Mumbai Indians after years of successful association.
Rohit Sharma during the 2024 IPL season(PTI)
Having worked closely with Rohit during their time together at Mumbai Indians, Rhodes was quick to commend the star batter’s exceptional skills and on-field elegance.
“I mean, for a long time at Mumbai Indians, I felt I had the best job in the world. I got to watch Rohit Sharma practice and play cricket. He is so elegant,” Rhodes told ANI.
However, despite his admiration for Rohit, Rhodes made it clear that LSG does not necessarily need Rohit’s presence to achieve success in the IPL. While acknowledging Rohit’s brilliance, Rhodes emphasised that the team’s pursuit of victory is not dependent on any single player.
“I mean, there’s the balance of teams, who’s in the side. I love watching Rohit Sharma bat, but I’m not saying he must come in and replace, and then suddenly we change our setup. So whatever, as I said, whatever happens, whosoever is there, I’ll be doing my best to support,” he added.
In another question surrounding Rohit’s potential arrival at LSG, Rhodes told News24 that any team will welcome the Indian captain.
“Rohit Sharma has experience, he has won titles. He will be welcome in any team that he walks into. We have a setup, I’m not privy to the decision-making that goes around owners and captains. That’s the head coach and the mentor’s role. From that point of view, wherever Rohit goes, if he goes, anybody will be happy to have him,” said Rhodes.
“He’s a good man. Having worked with him at MI, he brings real value in his captaincy and batting, and has a down-to-earth attitude which is so important in high pressure-cooker situations like the IPL is for 10 weeks.
Beyond Rohit, the uncertainty surrounding LSG’s current skipper, KL Rahul, has also been a hot topic of discussion. There were speculations that Rahul may have played his last game for the franchise, following a reported rebuke from franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka after a disappointing loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad. The owner, however, insisted that Rahul is a part of LSG’s ‘family’ earlier this week, when he held a press conference to confirm Zaheer Khan as the side’s new mentor.
When questioned about Rahul’s future, Rhodes tactfully avoided making any definitive statements, merely expressing relief that he would not be responsible for making retention decisions.
Goenka on Rohit-LSG speculations
Goenka was also earlier asked about the possibility of picking Rohit at the auction, and offered a similar response to Rhodes.
“Do you even know if Rohit Sharma is entering the auction? This is all unnecessary. It all depends on whether Mumbai Indians release Rohit Sharma or not. And even if Rohit comes to auction… if you put 50 per cent of your purse on one player, how will you buy other play?” Goenka said.
