The Mumbai Indians’ Global Head of Cricket Mahela Jayawardene finally spoke on the topic of Rohit Sharma and the strong support Rohit has been getting from the fans, who have been bashing MI on social media.
Mahela Jayawardene attended the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai on Tuesday where he was queried about the talks with Rohit Sharma and the reaction of the MI fans after Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit as their skipper.
Last week, Pandya was announced as the new MI captain, ending Rohit Sharma’s tenure that had started in 2013 and which included Rohit propelling MI to 5 IPL titles and one Champions League trophy. Fans have been outraging for the past 4-5 days on this decision by MI to replace Rohit with Hardik, who was traded in from Gujarat Titans after he spent two seasons there.
Mahela Jayawardene explains the role of Rohit Sharma in Mumbai Indians team
Mahela Jayawardene admitted that it was a “tough decision” but one that Mumbai Indians “had to make”.
said that Rohit Sharma’s role will extend to helping the younger and inexperienced players. He said that MI respect and value the emotions of their fans.
“We respect Fans emotions. I think everyone is emotional and we have to respect that as well. But at the same time, as a franchise, you have to make those decisions.”
“Having Rohit in the team on and off the field to guide the next generation is very important for us. He is a fabulous individual, a fabulous leader. I am sure that he will be part of that legacy who will guide that through,” Jayawardene said.
“This is something we have spoken about as a franchise. It is a tough decision, we had to make them. It is emotional, it is tough, to be honest. But everyone who has been part of Mumbai know we cherish every moment a player has contributed, and will contribute going forward. The legacy is something we want to build on and make sure we keep fighting for those wins, those trophies.”
Mumbai Indians squad after IPL 2024 auction:
Hardik Pandya (C), Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff, Romario Shepherd, Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madhushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Namandhir Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma
