With the Mumbai Indians’ campaign almost done and dusted in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, there’s little motivation for players to continue giving their best. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, etc. are all established stars but haven’t been able to lift the Mumbai Indians’ campaign this season. As there remains the threat of their performances going down further, with MI unlikely to qualify for playoffs, former India cricketer Deep Dasgupta feels there’s still ‘pride’ to play for.

Urging Rohit to not take his foot off the gas, Dasgupta urged the veteran opening batter to think of the forthcoming assignments and end the IPL campaign on a high.

“You are playing for the pride of the team, you are playing as a professional cricketer and you are playing for your pride as well. You don’t want to play a game and not want to perform. Everytime you cross the line, you want to do your best,” Dasgupta told Star Sports.

Dasgupta also feels next year’s IPL mega auction could be a key motivating factor for Rohit to do well. With Hardik now leading the franchise, it has been suggested by many that Rohit could decide to leave the franchise after the season.

“Let’s not forget that next year is the big auction. This is the last few opportunities that all the professional cricketers have. Even if the team is not going to qualify, at least to put up a good show and tell everyone, ‘You know what, I am there’,” Dasgupta said.

Dasgupta also feels that it’s important for Rohit to continue performing, keeping in mind his next assignment, which is the T20 World Cup 2024 with the Indian team.

“He is such an integral part of the team since he is the captain, but he sets the tone as well at the top of the order. That’s what he has been doing for the last year and a half,” he added.