The public’s opinion is still divided over the choice of Hardik Pandya to succeed Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain. While some have welcomed the prospect of Hardik leading the most successful team in IPL history, most have viewed this development with skepticism. Although Hardik has demonstrated his leadership abilities by leading the Gujarat Titans to consecutive finals, including one championship, the anger around Rohit’s downgrade is still very much present.
The fact that the diehard MI fans are against the leadership change is not particularly surprising. Despite Hardik’s potential, the emotionally-charged demographic in their minds believes he may not be able to take Rohit’s place or fill his shoes. However, this is a fact. After winning their first five titles in ten seasons, MI has failed to win one in the last three, and in 2022 they even had the dubious distinction of finishing last. It is undoubtedly not going to be easy for Hardik to get MI back on the winning track.
You never know; MI’s three-season title streak may come to an end under the new leader, Hardik. At least according to the great Sunil Gavaskar, however. Regarding the guard shift, the former captain of India believes that MI can benefit greatly from Hardik taking the lead.
“Hardik is a youthful, inexperienced captain who has produced the desired outcomes. He once won a title while leading the Gujarat Titans to two IPL finals. I’m very sure they kept all of this in mind when they made him captain. Fresh ideas are sometimes what you need, and Hardik can provide them. “It may or may not help the team, but it won’t hurt them,” Gavaskar stated on Star Sports about making Hardik the captain.
Apart from MI’s announcement on Friday, not much information on the management’s decision to make changes has surfaced. There have been rumors circulating that Hardik’s captaincy requirement is the reason he agreed to come back to Michigan. The team might have reasoned, “Why not?” since he desired that position. That being said, don’t even for a second believe that Rohit wasn’t considered in the grand scheme of things. He would have received proper communication from the plan.
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Rohit’s “josh” has suffered, claims Gavaskar
Regarding the rationale for the call, Gavaskar highlighted Rohit’s difficulties in accepting the truth. He really had the poorest season with the bat in IPL history in 2022, scoring 268 runs at an average of just over 19 and notching a single fifty. Given the burden of routinely leading India in two formats, it makes sense that he would be exhausted. Gavaskar speculates that as a result, the fire in Rohit’s belly may have subsided a little.
“It is not appropriate for us to debate right and wrong. The Mumbai Indians made their choice with the good of their squad in mind. Rohit hasn’t played much with the bat in the previous two years. He used to score a lot, and if my memory serves me well, MI finished last two seasons ago. They made it to the playoffs the previous year, but Josh—the guy we know and love—was not there. Maybe he’s worn out from playing cricket nonstop or leading India,” Gavaskar continued.
