Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has shared his views on Mumbai Indians’ decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the captain of the side ahead of IPL 2024.
The five-time IPL winners raised a number of eyebrows by naming Hardik Pandya as the captain. Rohit Sharma was leading the team since 2013 and did a stunning job as a captain. Under his captaincy, Mumbai Indians won five titles from 2013 to 2020. However, they could not do well in the last three seasons and it could be one of the reasons behind the franchise’s decision to sack him.
On the other hand, Pandya, who began his IPL career with Mumbai, left the franchise in 2022 for Gujarat Titans and led them to title in his first-ever season as a captain. He did well last year too and guided the team to the final. After two impressive seasons, Pandya sealed a stunning return to Mumbai Indians through a trade deal.
Sunil Gavaskar on Mumbai’s captaincy change:
While Mumbai Indians’ decision to sack Rohit Sharma has not gone down well with many, Sunil Gavaskar believes that it might be the right decision. The legendary batsman stated that the franchise would benefit in the long run for appointing Pandya as the captain. Sunil Gavaskar also opined that Rohit would play with more freedom after being relieved of captaincy duties.
“Look, they have always thought about the future of the franchise. Rohit Sharma is already 36 years old and also faces immense pressure, being the captain of India for all three formats. They have tried to reduce some of that burden and give that responsibility on the young shoulders of Hardik Pandya,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
“Handing Hardik, the captaincy is only going to benefit the Mumbai Indians. They have now given the freedom to Rohit to go and express himself freely at the top of the order. Hardik can then come at No.3 or No.5 and help them post totals of 200-plus consistently,” he added.
Meanwhile, IPL 2024 is expected to get underway next month. While the BCCI is yet to announce the IPL 2024 schedule, reports state that it is likely to be played from March 22 to May 26.