"I am sure Mumbai Indians management must have spoken to Rohit Sharma"- Praveen Kumar on MI appointing Hardik Pandya as skipper
Former Indian pacer Praveen Kumar believes the Mumbai Indians (MI) think tank must have had a chat with their star player Rohit Sharma before bringing in Hardik Pandya through trade and handing him the captaincy reins.
The five-time IPL champions faced a lot of scrutiny, particularly by fans on social media, after they decided to replace Rohit as captain with Hardik. However, Praveen feels the move would not change how the former MI skipper goes about his business in IPL 2024.
Here's what Praveen Kumar told TOI about Rohit Sharma's role for MI:
"I don't think it (losing MI captaincy) would affect Rohit in any way because he knows his role well. It won't matter to Rohit whether he is a captain or not. I am sure Mumbai Indians management must have spoken to Rohit before taking this decision (giving captaincy to Hardik). Without any conversation and talk with Rohit, MI can't take this big decision."
Praveen Kumar spent ample time with Rohit Sharma in the dressing room during their India days together and knows what the latter brings to the table as a leader. He hailed Rohit for the way he was captaining the current Indian team and looking after the youngsters in his unique way.
Praveen Kumar on India's pace attack
Praveen Kumar heaped praise on how incredibly consistent Jasprit Bumrah had been in delivering world-class performances. However, he also feels that the likes of Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar, who have done well in domestic cricket, will be successful at the international level as well.
On this, he stated:
"Jasprit Bumrah is just exceptional. He stands out and I don't think there are any doubts on his skills that anyone should comment on. He is a senior player now. He has learned how to take wickets at any given time. Akash Deep has impressed me a lot. Mukesh (Kumar) has done well. These two bowlers have done really well and will go a long way. They just need to keep learning new things every day."
India have already sealed the five-match Test series against England 3-1 after a memorable win in Ranchi. The fifth and final Test of the series will begin on Thursday, March 7, at Dharamsala.