Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel opened up about the controversial decision of the Mumbai Indians (MI) to replace five-time IPL-winning captain Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya.
Earlier this year, the Mumbai Indians (MI) named Pandya as their new captain ahead of the upcoming IPL 2024 after trading the Indian all-rounder to the Gujarat Titans (GT), which raised many eyebrows.
However, Patel believes that the Mumbai franchise made a strategic decision, but it will be very challenging for Pandya to replace Rohit as captain. He also said that MI’s new captain will face immense pressure and expectations, as the franchise hasn’t won the IPL trophy since 2020.
Parthiv Patel said on Jio Cinema: “Of course, Hardik Pandya’s captaincy is a talking point. The way he led the side (Gujarat Titans), winning the championship in the first year, a last-ball finish in the final next year, it was a great run at Gujarat Titans.”
He continued, “Hardik has moved on, and is now back in Mumbai, where his cricket started. There will be a lot of expectations from MI because the trophy is long due. For MI, qualifying is not a success; it's about winning championships. That's something they must have thought, and it seems like a well-thought decision to get him on board, looking at the future.”
The former Indian cricketer said that things won’t be easy for Pandya, as the MI players are used to playing under Rohit’s captaincy for 10 years, so it will put extra pressure on the new skipper.
Parthiv signed off by saying, “There will be a lot of pressure on Hardik. It will be challenging; replacing a five-time title-winning captain and a team that is used to playing a certain way for 10 years. And, this change of guard will be challenging for Hardik and for the players who are so used to playing under Rohit Sharma.”
(With PTI Inputs)
