All is not well between Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya in the Mumbai Indians camp in the ongoing IPL 2024. And now Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav have seemingly chosen sides as well, as Hardik Pandya’s first stint as MI captain is ending with a disaster.
The disputes began when the Mumbai Indians, in an unexpected move, signed Hardik from the Gujarat Titans and named him captain, succeeding Rohit, a five-time IPL winner and regarded as one of the tournament’s top leaders.
Fans went to great lengths to express their disgust. Hardik was booed wherever MI played throughout the first half of the 2017 season. The ace Indian all-rounder did not expect a homecoming like this. His own performance, combined with MI’s terrible run, compounded the situation.
Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav walk away when Hardik Pandya begins his net session before KKR v MI match – Report
Another significant incident occurred during the practice session prior to the KKR v MI match at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, highlighting the schism between Rohit and Hardik, implying the existence of two separate camps inside the MI setup.
According to a Dainik Jagran report, Hardik and Rohit have rarely practiced together during the IPL. On the eve of MI’s loss to KKR, Rohit scored first. Hardik was nowhere to be seen as the Indian skipper went about his business.
According to the story, Rohit was sitting on the sidelines with Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma after finishing his batting routine, but when Hardik walked out to practice at the nets, the trio stood up and proceeded to the other side of the ground.
This reported rift has seemingly impacted the performances of both Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya as well. The opener started off the season with a bang but his performance nosedived as the tournament progressed. Rohit has scored 349 runs at a strike rate of 145 this year.
On the other hand, captain Hardik Pandya has had one of his worst seasons, scoring only 200 runs at an average of 18. With the ball, he has picked up 11 wickets right but his economy rate of 10.59 has hurt MI.