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Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar reacted to Hardik Pandya’s appointment as the captain of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He said that Rohit Sharma’s removal as skipper of the team shouldn’t trigger sentiments.
One of the biggest developments in the history of the IPL took place on Friday (15th December). The joint most successful captain in the history of the tournament Rohit Sharma was removed as the leader of Mumbai Indians. His stint as a captain came to an end after 10 long years.
Rohit Sharma was replaced by Hardik Pandya, who will now take the baton of the team. The move left many wondering because Rohit gave his sweat and blood for the team in the last 10 years and made them the most successful team in the tournament with 5 titles under their belt.
The decision to remove Rohit Sharma and make Hardik Pandya as captain didn’t go well with many. It was expected that the senior opener would captain the team for at least a few seasons. But it wasn’t meant to be as Hardik’s trade back to Mumbai Indians almost confirmed that he would captain the team.
Hardik Pandya was recently traded back to Mumbai Indians after leading Gujarat Titans for two years. The all-rounder notably played for 7 long years for Mumbai before changing teams. Him not being loyal to his old franchise and now taking the captaincy didn’t go well with many fans.
Sanjay Manjrekar shared his opinion on the same and stated that Hardik Pandya becoming Mumbai Indians captain is a good move. He believes that the all-rounder is a proven leader and one shouldn’t think emotionally about Rohit Sharma. Speaking to Star Sports, he explained:
“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.”
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Sanjay Manjrekar further pointed out that Rohit Sharma has been around for a long time and therefore Hardik Pandya taking up the role is a good thing. He hoped that the all-rounder doesn’t feel pressure. He explained:
“Rohit has been around for a long time. So, it makes a lot of cricketing sense to have somebody like Hardik. I just hope he doesn’t feel the pressure of how the transfer happened and Mumbai Indians backing him so much.”
Rohit Sharma took over the leadership of Mumbai Indians in 2013 midway from Ricky Ponting. He guided the team to five titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. The onus will now be on Hardik Pandya to take his legacy forward and take the team to more glory. The all-rounder captained GT to title win their inaugural edition of the league in 2022 and asserted his authority as a captain. In 2023, he took the team to the final and would be hoping to silence all the criticism by winning the title for MI.
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