Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has hailed the legacy that Rohit Sharma is leaving behind as a captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI).

Last week, the franchise sprang a surprise by naming Hardik Pandya as their new captain. This move came less than a month after Hardik returned to MI, following a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans (GT), whom he led in the past two seasons.

Rohit’s abrupt removal from captaincy has created quite a stir in the cricket fraternity given that he led MI to five IPL titles in his 10-year stint as skipper.

"Rohit Sharma has a huge stature in the team. For me, Rohit Sharma's stature in Mumbai Indians is similar to that of Dhoni's stature in CSK. Rohit Sharma has build the team with blood and sweat as captain, he has contributed a lot, always involved in the team meeting. He is an amazing captain, a bowlers' captain. Last year, despite (Jofra) Archer's form and (Jasprit) Bumrah not being there, Rohit still had a great IPL season as a captain," Irfan said while speaking to Star Sports.

While Irfan Pathan backed Hardik Pandya as captain for MI, he opined that it would be a challenge for the all-rounder to be leading a team that features big names like Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit himself.

Notably, Hardik played for Mumbai Indians from 2015 to 2021, winning four titles in seven seasons with them. Ahead of the 2022 mega-auction, MI let him go as they could retain only a few players.

Hardik then went on to become the captain of Gujarat Titans and led them to victory in the 2022 edition. The Ahmedabad-based franchise finished off as runners-up in the last IPL season.

"Now, with SKY, Bumrah and Rohit being there, who have performed leadership roles at International level, it will be a challenge for Hardik. The result lies in management for MI and Hardik. It won't be easy for Hardik," Irfan said.