Rohit Sharma was removed as MI captain before IPL 2024© BCCI/Sportzpics
It has been weeks since Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit Sharma as captain of the Mumbai Indians team. The change, which continues to be one of the most talked about topics in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, has not only stunned fans but also some former cricketers. Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Indian cricketer and commentator, echoed the sentiments of thousands of Rohit Sharma fans when he asked what the hitman had done wrong to be removed as Mumbai’s skipper. While Rohit continues to lead the Indian national cricket team, it is Hardik who heads his IPL franchise.
“Nobody can digest the fact that India’s hero, the Indian captain, is not the captain of our franchise. ‘What did he do wrong?’ is what fans of the franchise would think,” said Navjot Sidhu on Star Sports.
“But what should he do? There is nothing like success. If he had won these two matches, there would have been no noise,” he added.
There were also rumors that Hardik would be elevated to India’s skipper, at least in the shortest format, and lead the team in the 2024 T20 World Cup. But Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah confirmed that Rohit would remain India’s skipper and captain the team during the showpiece event that starts in June this year.
Sidhu feels that if the BCCI’s announcement had come earlier, Mumbai Indians might not have decided to replace him with Hardik as the franchise captain.
“If India had announced earlier in October that Rohit Sharma would return as India T20I captain in 2024, the franchise might not have responded to the call. Because they would have thought, how can the India captain not be the captain of be the franchise?” said Navjot Singh Sidhu.
As things stand, Hardik is the captain of Mumbai Indians while Rohit continues to lead the Indian team in all three formats.
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