File photo of Rohit Sharma© AFP
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fielding coach Jonty Rhodes addressed the speculation building around India captain Rohit Sharma joining the franchise for the next Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. As the mega auction for the IPL 2025 season inches closer, uncertainty over Rohit's future continues to loom around him. In recent times speculations over Rohit potentially moving away from Mumbai Indians continue to grow rapidly. Rhodes, who has closely monitored the seasoned batter's progress during their time together with the five-time IPL champions, the former South African cricketer had nothing but praise for the dynamic opener.
"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.
Even though Rhodes is in awe of the way Rohit exudes elegance on the field, Rhodes doesn't feel that the presence of Rohit is compulsory for LSG in their pursuit of success.
"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, who is ever there? I'll be doing my best to support," he added.
Apart from the reports about Rohit's future, the peculiar situation of the franchise skipper KL Rahul has also been in the limelight.
The rumour mill suggests that Rahul is unlikely to play another match in LSG colours after franchise owner Sanjiv Goenka seemingly rebuked the wicketkeeper batter following their loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
When quizzed about Rahul's future, Rhodes was glad that he wasn't going to be the one making decisions over the retention of players.
"Well, luckily, hypothetically, or in real life, that's as a fielding coach. I don't have to worry about that just now," he added.
Regarded as one of the best fielders in the history of the sport, Rhodes continues to be involved in cricket years after bringing the curtain down on his career.
Rhodes is still trying out different cricketing roles apart from coaching. He was named as the brand ambassador of the inaugural season of the Pro Cricket League (PCL).
While talking about embarking on a new adventure, Rhodes is still keen to improve his skills as a human being.
"I think what a learning curve is seeing if I can sit off the field. As a coach, you don't get involved during the game, but it leads to a part of the buildup, part of the preparation. So I will have to see if I have got the patience to be able to sit and watch the whole thing to still be able to do a little bit of coaching, but yeah, a very new role, and it's a part of evolving as an individual. As a cricket player, you always evolve. You have to work on your technique and your skills, so yes, I'm trying to improve my skills as a human being," he stated.