Mumbai Indians are entering a new era with the appointment of Hardik Pandya as the new captain who succeeds Rohit Sharma into the role. It was Rohit under whose captaincy that MI became one of the most successful franchises in the history of IPL, winning as many as five titles.
Rohit became MI captain in 2013 and led them every season till 2023.
Before the IPL 2024 auction last December, Gujarat Titans traded Pandya to MI in an all-cash deal following which the allrounder was also named as their captain.
Pandya has played under the captaincy of Rohit for the major part of his international and IPL career and will it be awkward with the roles being reversed?
“It will not be any different, he will always be there to help me,” Pandya told reporters during MI’s pre-season media interaction in Mumbai on Monday. “This team, what it has achieved, it has achieved under him and I just have to carry forward that. It won’t be awkward. He is going to have his hand on my shoulders.”
“We respect fans but we focus on the sport and what is required. I focus on the controllables, fans have every right and I respect their opinion,” he replied when asked about the fans’ outrage at Rohit’s removal.
When asked if he has spoken to Rohit, Pandya said, “Yes and no. He’s been traveling non-stop and playing. Been couple of months since we have not seen each other. Once he comes, we will definitely have a chat.”
Pandya, who made his IPL debut for MI, left the franchise ahead of the 2022 season to join Gujarat Titans. He famously guided GT to title win in their debut season and then took them to another final last year.
“My whole life changed after making debut for Mumbai Indians. It’s a surreal feeling to be back. Very excited for the season,” Pandya said.
Pandya recently returned to competitive cricket taking part in the DY Patil T20 Cup after spending nearly four months on the sidelines having suffered a freak injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup.
“I had prepared for the World Cup for more than a year,” Pandya said in an interview. “It was a freak injury during the match. The injury was said to be for 25 days, and that would mean I would miss the rest of the World Cup. But I pushed. I told the management that I would return after five days. I got injections done on my ankle in three places. I had to remove blood from my ankle because of the swelling. I wanted to give everything.”
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