"One should not be thinking sentimentally about Rohit Sharma" - Sanjay Manjrekar backs MI on appointment of Hardik Pandya as captain
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar feels fans should look at the replacement of Rohit Sharma by Hardik Pandya as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain objectively and not emotionally. Purely on cricketing logic, Manjrekar believes the move to appoint Hardik as skipper was a sensible one from the franchise.
Hardik returned to his first franchise, Mumbai Indians (MI), in an all-cash trade from Gujarat Titans (GT), before being named the side's captain for the upcoming IPL season.
Speaking to Star Sports after the opening ODI of the India-South Africa series, Manjrekar felt Hardik is an in-form captain, and the decision made total sense.
"One should not be thinking sentimentally or emotionally about Rohit Sharma. I think it’s a good move as Hardik Pandya is a proven leader and has had a great run. So, he is your in-form T20 captain and player. Rohit has been around for a long time. So, it makes a lot of cricketing sense to have somebody like Hardik," said Manjrekar.
He added:
"I just hope he doesn’t feel the pressure of how the transfer happened and Mumbai Indians backing him so much."
Rohit Sharma led MI to five titles between 2013 and 2020, with Hardik Pandya being a vital cog in the last four.
The all-rounder has experienced tremendous success himself, leading GT to a title in their maiden season in 2022 and losing in the final this year. Hardik has also predominantly been India's T20I captain since last year's World Cup in Australia.
"Surprised that MI has moved from Rohit Sharma so early" - Wasim Jaffer
Another former Indian batter, Wasim Jaffer, had a diffferent opinion on the matter. The former Mumbai cricketer was surprised that MI moved on from Rohit Sharma as their captain.
Reports have surfaced that Rohit was informed of Hardik returning to the franchise and becoming the new captain. The all-rounder had reportedly agreed to the move back to MI only on those conditions.
"I’m surprised that MI has moved from Rohit Sharma so early. It happened so quickly, I’m also a little surprised. There were a couple of guys who were pretty hopeful of becoming the captain. One of them is Suryakumar Yadav, who is captaining the Indian team.
"He has captained really well. Jasprit Bumrah as well, he captained India in Tests. I hope it has been communicated really well. It was going to happen, but it happening straightaway this season, I am a little surprised," Jaffer told ESPNCricinfo.
Following their back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020, MI missed the playoffs the next two seasons and were ousted in the Eliminator last season.
To create wiggle room for further purchases in the upcoming auction, MI traded all-rounder Cameron Green to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) upon the return of Hardik Pandya.