Hardik Pandya reached out to Rohit Sharma in the first meeting after MI’s captaincy switch before the IPL 2024.
Fresh from guiding Virat Kohli-less Team India to an impressive series win over England in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), skipper Rohit Sharma had his first public interaction with newly-appointed Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper – Hardik Pandya. Veteran opener Rohit was replaced by Pandya as MI captain after the latter made a sensational switch from Gujarat Titans (GT) to Mumbai ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction.
Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians’ captain after his all-cash switch from Gujarat Titans for IPL 2024(Mumbai Indians)
Following his lucrative move to MI, Hardik was named the successor of Rohit for the upcoming season of the cash-rich league. MI skipper Pandya admitted that his move of leaving Gujarat Titans and replacing Rohit as captain at Mumbai Indians did upset a few legions of IPL fans. However, Pandya also made it clear that MI icon Rohit will remain the guiding force for the former GT skipper at the IPL 2024.
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Rohit and Hardik’s interaction ends rift rumours
On Wednesday, Pandya came up with a heartwarming gesture while gearing up for the IPL 2024 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. In a video shared by Mumbai Indians on Instagram, all-rounder Pandya was seen reaching out to Rohit in his first meeting after the unexpected captaincy switch at the MI camp. The priceless interaction between Rohit and Hardik also ended rumours of a rift between the two superstars of the franchise.
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What Hardik said about Rohit?
During a media interaction in Mumbai, MI skipper Pandya was all praise for former captain Rohit. “It will not be any different, he will always be there to help me. You mentioned that he is the captain of the Indian team, which helps me because this team, what it has achieved, it has achieved under him. From now onwards, it is (about) what he has achieved, I just have to carry forward that,” Pandya said.
Can captain Hardik emulate Rohit at MI?
Pandya’s predecessor, Rohit, is the joint-most successful captain in IPL’s history. Former MI skipper Rohit masterminded all of Mumbai’s five IPL crowns. Under Rohit’s leadership, MI lifted the famous trophy in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Rohit captained MI in 158 games. With Rohit at the helm, MI won 87 and lost 67 games in the cash-rich league. Pandya’s MI will meet GT in their IPL 2024 opener on Sunday.
