Former Sri Lanka bowler Dilhara Fernando feels that Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya can captain the Mumbai Indians side after the departure of legendary Rohit Sharma from the game and that the five-time champions have a fantastic team atmosphere to share experience with the team’s youngsters.
After enjoying two highly successful seasons with Gujarat Titans, he is back in the team where he began his IPL journey in 2015, spending seven seasons with them before being released. In seven seasons with five-time champions, Hardik Pandya won an impressive four IPL titles. He will now be hoping that his second stint with the franchise turns out to be as successful.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Dilhara Fernando feels that Hardik Pandya is going to be the successor of Rohit Sharma in Mumbai Indians and said that Mumbai Indians has got terrific team atmosphere, where the experienced players can share their knowledge with youngsters in the squad.
“I think Hardik going to MI is a good choice because he has the leadership qualities, I think after Rohit Sharma, he’ll lead Mumbai Indians that’s what I feel.”
“We always have been very competitive we take every game seriously and the dressing room environment was fantastic where senior players used to share their experiences with the young guys. During my era, it was a really good experience for me,” Dilhara Fernando said.
In two seasons with Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya led them to the title in the very first season in 2022. Earlier this year, he led the team to the final where it lost the title decider against Chennai Super Kings. The Indian all-rounder has led the Indian team in the T20 format of the game after the conclusion of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
It Is Good To See Hardik Pandya Go Back – Dwayne Smith
Former West Indies opener Dwayne Bravo, who won the IPL with Mumbai Indians in 2013 playing alongside Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, and Dinesh Karthik, claimed Hardik Pandya’s presence in the team ahead of IPL 2024 has made Mumbai Indians a little Stronger going into the cash-rich league.
“Mumbai Indians have a very good culture, we had the belief, that we had so many good players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, and Dinesh Karthik. So it is good to see him go back. I think it will make them a little stronger,” Dwayne Smith said.
Hardik Pandya stated his desire to return to his first IPL team in dramatic fashion, and both franchises agreed to the trade after the transfer deadline passed. Despite having led the team for the past two seasons, Pandya has indicated a desire to return to his home franchise.
