“Hardik Pandya Is The Mumbai Indians Captain, And He’s 36 Too”: Sunil Gavaskar Supports Hardik Pandya

The Mumbai Indians’ decision to choose Hardik Pandya as the team’s captain in lieu of Rohit Sharma has generated controversy among the cricket community ahead of the next Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The team seems to want to relieve Rohit of some of the leadership duties and pass the baton to a younger player, according to former India captain Sunil Gavaskar.

Five IPL championships were won by the Mumbai Indians under Rohit’s leadership, including one during his 2013 captaincy debut. For more than ten years, he has been the team’s opening staple.

However, Pandya was an integral member of the Gujarat Titans team, who won the championship in their first season in 2022, after leaving the Mumbai Indians. Gujarat Titans, who were led by him in the 2023 Indian Premier League, came in second place behind Chennai Super Kings in an exciting summit match.

“You know, they’ve always considered the franchise’s future. Being the captain of India for all three forms puts a lot of burden on Rohit Sharma, who is almost 36 years old. They have made an effort to lessen some of that load by assigning it to a young player, Hardik Pandya, who has successfully guided a newly formed team, the Gujarat Indians, to consecutive finals and even the championship. This is the idea behind MI’s shift, according to Gavaskar on Star Sports.

The veteran cricket player went on to say that Pandya’s promotion would help the Mumbai Indians in the 2024 Indian Premier League.

“The Mumbai Indians will only gain by giving Hardik the leadership. Rohit may now ascend to the top of the hierarchy and openly express himself since they have granted him that freedom. Then, Hardik may enter at No. 3 or No. 5 and assist them in posting totals over 200, said Gavaskar.

Mark Boucher, the head coach of the Mumbai Indians, praised the change in leadership earlier this month and referred to it as a “cricketing decision.”

It was, in my opinion, just a cricketing choice. The window to see Hardik return to the playing field was visible. It’s a transitional period for me. Many people in India are not aware that people there become quite emotional. However, as you are aware, you remove the feelings from it. I believe the choice was made more from a cricket perspective, and I do believe it will bring out the best in both Rohit the player and the person. According to Boucher, on the Smash Sports podcast, “just let him go out and enjoy and score some good runs.”

In an all-cash transaction, Pandya was moved from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians before to the December IPL 2024 auction.