Indian Premier League franchise Mumbai Indians have faced a lot of flak since announcing their decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the captain of the franchise ahead of IPL 2024. However, former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar believes the franchise made the correct call.
While highlighting that the guard switch would lessen Rohit’s captaincy burden, Sunil Gavaskar also acknowledged that MI is a team that always looks to the future.
In a historical trade, Hardik returned to the Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans in November 2023. Just 4 days ahead of the IPL 2024 auctions, Mumbai announced Hardik as the captain of MI, ending a decade-long reign of Rohit as the skipper.
“Look, they have always thought about the future of the franchise. Rohit Sharma is already 36 years old and also faces immense pressure, being the captain of India for all three formats. They have tried to reduce some of that burden and give that responsibility on the young shoulders of Hardik Pandya,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
“Handing Hardik the captaincy is only going to benefit the Mumbai Indians. They have now given the freedom to Rohit to go and express himself freely at the top of the order. Hardik can then come at No.3 or No.5 and help them post totals of 200-plus consistently,” Gavaskar added.
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