Rohit Sharma led MI to 5 IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
This was all under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, who had taken over from Ricky Ponting in the 2013 edition. But in the last three editions, MI has not been so good in the field, leading to their rivals CSK closing the gap and tying MI for most IPL wins with 5 each.
Harbhajan Singh is confident that the news of Hardik being appointed as captain for IPL 2024 would have at least shocked Rohit if nothing else.
"I hope it's for the betterment of the Mumbai Indians going forward. You know, Rohit has been a true leader and a champion player for Mumbai Indians and India as well. Knowing him, after winning so many trophies for MI and doing so well at the international level, it must have come as a shock to him to suddenly not be part of the leadership group," Harbhajan said on the IPL Daily Show on Star Sports.
"I'm sure he is going to be involved in some way or the other but we have seen Rohit growing as a player and captain and winning those five trophies. That speaks volumes about his captaincy. I don't know; the management has taken the decision and I hope everyone takes it in the right spirit and Mumbai Indians plays like a champion side,” he added.
Hardik Pandya joined Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022 and led them to title win that season and in the final in IPL 2023. With Rohit stepping away from India's T20I set-up to concentrate on the ODI for the World Cup, Hardik, on the high of an IPL win, captained India in the shortest format for 10 months on and off.
Harbhajan reckons the India all-rounder has what it takes to not only put on the captaincy hat but even excel at it.
"He is someone who thrives on challenges; he has done well for GT, winning the title in the first year and runners-up the next. This goes to show that he is a leader; he is now very quiet; and operates well. So I feel that he has got all the qualities of a leader," added the former MI star.
(Star Sports inputs)