R Ashwin backed Rohit Sharma to continue captaining the Mumbai Indians (MI) even after the franchise brought back Hardik Pandya in a big trade deal before the IPL 2024 mini-auction.
Ashwin believes that a well-organized team like the Mumbai Indians (MI) would have discussed their plans with both Rohit and Hardik before finalizing the trade for the IPL in 2024. The Indian off-spinner further said that the MI probably has a 'progression plan' all setup.
Notably, Hardik led the Gujarat Titans (GT) to the IPL final in 2023 and won the trophy with them in 2022. This led to him becoming India’s T20I captain, but the star all-rounder made a surprising return to MI after the retention window closed on November 26.
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On the other hand, Rohit Sharma is still the MI captain, leaving people curious about what might happen with the captaincy after Hardik’s return, but Ashwin feels there will be no change in captaincy at least for the upcoming season.
R Ashwin told S Badrinath on his YouTube show: “Not really (Hardik straightforward choice to lead MI?). Rohit, the leader, has got a lot of miles to run. I think they might have a progression plan. That's the right thing to say. They would have given clarity to both of them.”
He continued, “Mumbai is a top franchise, like CSK. I think they would have kept the communication lines clear. They would have spoken to both Hardik and Rohit. And they will go ahead and do it. That's an inner sanctum. We don't know what's going to happen.
I see both of them as hardcore, loyal players. Winning 5 titles is not a joke. If CSK wins a title, Rohit is lifting the next one. Rohit has gone a long way. I have known him since my teenage days. I am glad for the players. It's good to see franchises valuing players. He was sold for Rs 10 lakh once, today he is a multi-million-dollar player.”
Speaking on the milestone trade of Hardik, Ashwin said: “From Hardik Pandya's point of view, I know him a bit, won't claim that I know him inside out. From a player's point of view, I am saying this... if a franchise like Mumbai Indians called him and told him to return, he would value the interest shown by the franchise. it's about valuing the player.”
He signed off by saying, “If a player is shown that love, that affection. Or it would always have been like this. 'You go and show what you can deliver as captain, then let's see'. I don't know what the conversation was. It's a milestone trade.”
(With India Today Inputs)
