The dynamics of power in the Mumbai Indians camp would be interesting to observe as new captain Hardik Pandya takes charge from Rohit Sharma, while Rohit remains the India captain.
While a huge section of the fans and experts don’t concur with this shift in captaincy at MI, Hardik Pandya said he will always have the support of Rohit Sharma, under whom Hardik played 7 seasons in IPL from 2015 to 2022 before moving to Gujarat Titans.
Speaking at the pre-tournament press conference four days out from the start of the IPL 2024 season, Hardik was asked about his relationship with Rohit, who will lead India in the T20 World Cup in June but will play under him in the IPL.
Hardik Pandya said, “Rohit Sharma is captain of Indian team, which helps me, what this team has achieved, was achieved under his belt – I just carry forward, I played whole career under him and I know, he will always have his hand on my shoulder”.
Hardik is returning from an ankle injury that he suffered during the World Cup last year, and he’s been out of action since then.
Rohit has been in a fantastic touch with the bat: Hardik Pandya
The new MI captain heaped praise on Rohit’s batting form in recent times. Rohit lit up the World Cup with his ballistic hitting in the powerplay, and recently was in great form in the Test series against England, where he scored 400 runs with two brilliant centuries.
Hardik Pandya believes if Rohit’s form with the bat continues like this, then Mumbai will go deep in the IPL 2024.
Hardik said: “Rohit has been in a fantastic touch. The way he’s hitting the ball against England was fantastic. I am looking forward to see him go out and express himself. If he has a fantastic season, we will be there in the dying stages of the tournament.”
It would be an epic start for Mumbai as they travel to Ahmedabad for their first match of the season, against Hardik’s previous franchise, Gujarat Titans.
Also Read: ‘They Think I Wouldn’t Fit The Bill As A Leader’: R Ashwin On Never Becoming Test Captain
