‘Rohit Sharma played with real intent’: Bret Lee defends hitman’s ton after loss against CSK

Former Mumbai Indians captain and veteran batsman Rohit Sharma was at his best against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, scoring 105 runs in 63 deliveries at a strike rate of 166.67. But despite the valiant efforts of the 'Hitman', as he is affectionately known by his fans, Mumbai Indians were unable to chase down their target of 207 and eventually lost the match by 20 runs, with Rohit remaining unbeaten at the crease.

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After the loss to CSK, many on social media questioned the veteran batsman's ability to hit the long ball, as the 36-year-old was visibly struggling to get the ball past the boundary line in the later part of the innings. However, Rohit has found an ally in former Australian pacer Bret Lee, who praised the batsman for not even celebrating after reaching his century while playing with intent from the first ball.

In an interaction with JioCinema, Bret Lee said, “Rohit Sharma scored a brilliant hundred. The fact that he went out there scored at a good clip, too. I liked it when he scored his hundred, he didn't even raise his bat. For me, it shows that the win means more than his personal milestone. You know, he played with real intent right from ball one. He played shots all around the ground, but then the power and the finesse came into play. 105 not out of 63 balls with 11 fours and five sixes, just unfortunately, you can't do everything on your own.”

Rohit's performance in IPL 2024: 

After scoring a century at the Wankhede on Sunday, Rohit is among the top five run-scorers in the IPL 2024 season. The veteran batsman has scored 261 runs in IPL 2024 at an average of 52.20 and a strike rate of over 167.

The ‘hitman’ also passed another milestone during the innings on Sunday. Rohit Sharma became the only Indian batsman to hit over 500 sixes in T20 cricket.