Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has shared his thoughts on Rohit Sharma playing under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Hardik completed a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans (GT) to Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the IPL 2024 auction last December.
Soon after the trade, the all-rounder replaced Rohit as the MI skipper and the game against Gujarat Titans on Sunday (March 24) was his first at the helm of the five-time champions.
Speaking on Star Sports, Sidhu opined that Dhoni and Rohit are great players and playing under another captain in a franchise team won’t make them smaller.
"I have played in an Indian team where five captains used to play together. Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Ravi Shastri. Pick up a brick and you will find a captain both above and below it. There were no issues because they were playing for their nation. The motivation was to play for your country. So, playing under Hardik does not make Rohit smaller," Sidhu said.
“Dhoni has passed the baton already and that could have happened in Mumbai Indians as well. But this is a franchise and they look at the performances. They gave it three years and when it did not work, they got a new person for the job. You need to accept it. But Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are great players. A dwarf is a dwarf even if he is standing at the top of a mountain and a God is a God even if they are standing at the bottom of a well," he added.
Hardik Pandya's first assignment as MI captain didn’t yield positive result as the team suffered a narrow 6-run defeat at the hands of GT in Ahmedabad.
Chasing 169 to win, the five-time champions were cruising when Rohit Sharma (43) and Dewald Brevis (46) were batting together. However, their dismissals in quick succession triggered a collapse.
Hardik, who walked out at No. 7, smashed Umesh Yadav’s first two balls for a six and a boundary in the final over but he was caught at long-on on the third delivery for 11 as MI’s innings ended at 162/9 in 20 overs.
Mumbai Indians will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Wednesday (March 27).
