NEW DELHI: Former India captain Anil Kumble believes a resurgent Rohit Sharma could spell trouble for the rest of the IPL after the Mumbai Indians opener announced his comeback in style with a match-winning win against Kolkata Knight Riders.Rohit smashed a magnificent 78 off just 38 balls to power MI to a six-wicket win in their season opener at the Wankhede Stadium, ending their long-running skirmish of losing the first match of the IPL campaign.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Kumble was particularly impressed with the authority and ease with which Rohit dominated quality bowling, which he called a sign of a dangerous new phase in his career.“Rohit Sharma seems to have arrived in his 2.0 avatar and his innings showed that he is ready to dominate again. The way he hit the ball down the ground reminded me of his best days,” Kumble said on Star Sports.The former India coach highlighted how Rohit eased a strong spin attack that featured Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy along with pacer Blessing Muzarabani.“It’s not easy to hit sixes against bowlers like Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Blessing Muzarabani, but he made it look easy. He worked a lot on his fitness… when you come back after a short break, it takes a while to find your rhythm,” Kumble noted.“It was a fantastic innings…sixes looked easy and even though the boundaries were small, those shots went to the stands. This knock shows that Rohit means business and his version will worry all IPL teams,” he added.KKR’s spin strategy under scrutinyWhile praising Rohit, Kumble also pointed out tactical mistakes by Kolkata Knight Riders, especially their underutilization of key spinners.“KKR are relying too much on Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy and Narine didn’t even complete his quota which was surprising. It was disappointing that Ajinkya Rahane didn’t bring him in the Powerplay,” he said.According to Kumble, the delay in introducing Narine proved costly as the Mumbai openers had already taken control.“By the time Narine came in, the damage was already done… they have to use their resources better. When you have two world-class spinners, you have to use them well,” he added.
