Throughout the years, IPL has done an excellent job of bridging the gap between international cricketers and fostering a healthy competitive environment among the top Indian players. The top 20 Indian cricketers have always been distributed among the various franchises, enabling them to take control and grow individually. The Mumbai Indian vs Lucknow Super Giants IPL 2024 match at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday was a perfect example of this. Two of the most notable Indian cricketers, MI opener Rohit Sharma and LSG captain KL Rahul, went head-to-head. After the match, the on-field competition gave way to a public display of camaraderie, which frequently happens. During the post-match presentation, Rahul and Rohit had a light-hearted chat. The elegant batters were seen having a heart-to-heart conversation when Rahul, the victorious captain of the night, was invited to share his thoughts on his last match of the season. For a brief moment, he couldn't locate the microphone, but Harsha Bhogle informed him that there was one closer to the dais. Rahul discussed his team's performance and was also questioned about his future in T20 cricket.
The team has decided to choose Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson as keeper-batters, leaving Yashasvi Jaiswal as the new opener. This will be the first T20 World Cup in three years that Rahul will not be opening for India. Although he is 32 years old, he will still be rooting for India while watching on television. "I'm cheering for 'Sharma ji ka beta' on my father-in-law's team. We'll both be glued to the television, sending all our love to the Indian team," he said. To understand the references to "Sharma ji ka beta" and "father-in-law," one must recall the IPL promotional ad with Rahul, Rohit, and Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty, Rohit's father-in-law and LSG captain. The ad features Shetty ignoring Rahul and favoring Rohit because of his loyalty to the Mumbai Indians. When asked if he would change his batting position in T20s as he did for the team's needs in ODIs, Rahul replied: "Maybe, maybe not, there's not much T20 cricket coming up [for me] now."
We're all India fans first pic.twitter.com/nSXw6iiGzv
— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) May 17, 2024
LSG climbed to the sixth spot in the points table after defeating MI by 18 runs. To secure their position, all they need is for RCB to lose their upcoming game against Chennai Super Kings. Rahul expressed his disappointment at not making it to the playoffs, but emphasized the importance of putting the team's needs first. At the start of the season he believed the team could make it, but several injuries caused the team to lose balance. “It's very disappointing. At the beginning of the season we felt like we had a very strong season and most of the bases were covered. "It threw us into a crisis. We didn't do that. He added: "Today was one of those games I wish I had played more often when the bowlers and batsmen were together."
