Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar has backed Mumbai Indians’ decision to replace Rohit Sharma as captain with Hardik Pandya. He said that the five-time IPL champions MI needed some fresh ideas after a poor performance in the last two years and Hardik brings that freshness into the side.
Mumbai Indians broke ground to trade in Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. Shortly after announced that Pandya would be taking over as captain of the MI team as well. This ended Rohit Sharma’s 10-year captaincy tenure in which MI won the IPL five times.
The change didn’t sit well with hardcore MI fans, who criticized the move on social media.
However, Sunil Gavaskar, who hails from Mumbai himself, opined Rohit Sharma looked tired in the last two seasons with the Mumbai Indians, highlighting how leading the country and IPL side was taking a toll on his leadership and performances alike.
“We shouldn’t go into rights and wrongs. But, the decision they have taken is for the benefit of the team. In the last two years, Rohit’s contribution, even with the bat, has dipped a little bit. Earlier, he used to score big, but in the last two years they finished No. 9 or No. 10 the year before last year and in the last year they qualified for the playoffs,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
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“But we missed seeing the mojo in Rohit Sharma that we used to see in the previous few years. Maybe, he was a little tired because of playing continuous cricket, he was a little tired because of captaincy, leading India and the franchise.
I feel that the decision, they have kept in mind that Hardik is a young captain who has produced results. Hardik has led Gujarat to the finals twice, and he led them to the title in 2022. I think they have made him captain by considering all this,” Gavaskar added.
MI last won the IPL in 2020 and didn’t qualify for the playoffs in 2021 and 2022. In 2022, the team finished bottom of the points. The team did better last season, reaching the playoffs, but crashed out on the first qualifier.
Gavaskar believes Pandya will bring a fresh thinking and energy to the team.
“At times, you need fresh thinking. Hardk brings in that fresh thinking. I think the decision will only benefit Mumbai Indians, it will not deter them,” he said.
(Star Sports inputs)
