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Mark Boucher, the head coach of Mumbai Indians (MI), has shed light on the decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the captain of the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions. Boucher emphasised that this choice was purely cricket-oriented, as the team embarked on a transitional phase. Boucher added that the five-time IPL title holders are determined to maximise Rohit's potential as a batter.
In a groundbreaking trade, Hardik Pandya made his return to the MI in November 2023 after captaining the Gujarat Titans for two years. Just four days before the IPL 2024 mini auction, he was appointed as the captain of the franchise, which has won the IPL title five times. This move generated significant criticism, with the Paltans losing 400,000 followers within an hour of the announcement. Many fans expressed disappointment, as it marked the conclusion of Rohit Sharma's decade-long captaincy era.
It was purely a cricketing decision: Mark Boucher
"I think it was purely a cricketing decision. We saw the window period to get Hardik back as a player. For me, it's a transition phase. A lot of people don't understand in India. People get quite emotional, but you know you take the emotions away from it. I think it's just more of a cricketing decision that was made, and I do think it is going to bring the best out of Rohit as a person and as a player. Just let him go out and enjoy and score some good runs," Mark Boucher said on Smash Sports podcast.
"I mean one of the things I have spoken about is when you arrive at the IPL and he (Chris Morris) will be able to tell you as well that there's a lot of stuff going on, there are photoshoots and this and that and a lot of emphasis is not actually on the cricket. It's more about the advertising and all that sort of stuff," Boucher added.
Advantages of Hardik's appointment as MI captain
Rohit Sharma assumed the captaincy of the Mumbai Indians in 2013, and during his ten-year tenure, he guided the team to five IPL titles. Mark Boucher praised the 35-year-old for his leadership qualities but also acknowledged that the opener has faced challenges in scoring runs during the past few IPL seasons. Boucher believes that relieving him of the captaincy role will enable Rohit to play with greater freedom.
Rohit Sharma hasn't really performed with the bat for MI in recent IPL seasons. In 2023, he accumulated 332 runs in 16 matches, while in 2022, he managed just 268 runs in 14 matches, with an average of less than 20.
"One thing I did pick up with Ro (Rohit) is that he is a fantastic guy. I mean he's been captaining for ages, and he's done really well for Mumbai Indians. Now he also leads India as well. It is that he walks into a place and there are just cameras in it, and he's so busy, and he hasn't had probably the best couple of seasons of late with the bat probably, but he's done well as a captain."
Notably, Boucher assumed the role of head coach for the franchise in 2022, and it's worth noting that the team secured their most recent IPL title in 2020.
"And I just thought, you know, when we're speaking with the whole Mumbai Indians group, we thought that maybe this is the opportunity for him to step up as a player. We believe he has got some great value to add and just go out there and actually enjoy it without the hype of being a captain. He is still going to captain India so that hype's going to be there but when he steps into the IPL, maybe just taking that extra bit of pressure off him as a captain, and maybe we will get the best out of Rohit Sharma," Boucher concluded.
Meanwhile, IPL 2024 is tentatively scheduled to take place from March 22 to May 26 after the conclusion of Women's Premier League (WPL), which is expected to be be played from from February 22 to March 17. However, IPL 2024's final schedule heavily relies on the dates of the General Election in India, with the BCCI aiming to host the league entirely within the country.
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