'You asked us to...': Mumbai Indians' farewell message for Rohit Sharma after appointing Hardik Pandya as captain for IPL 2024

Mumbai Indians (MI) announced Hardik Pandya as their new skipper for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Hardik took over the reins from Rohit Sharma, the most successful captains with the franchise, guiding them to five IPL titles. This leadership shift follows Hardik's recent return to Mumbai Indians last month, after a notable stint with Gujarat Titans where he served as captain for two seasons and also won a title. Accompanying the announcement of this significant captaincy transition, MI shared a touching tribute to Rohit on their social media platform.

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"Ro, in 2013 you took over as captain of MI. You asked us to Believe. In victories & defeats, you asked us to Smile. 10 years & 6 trophies later, here we are. Our forever captain your legacy will be etched in Blue & Gold. Thank you, Captain RO," wrote MI on X, formerly Twitter.

In a statement released on Friday, December 15, MI explained that the captaincy change was a strategic move for future planning and expressed gratitude to Rohit for his outstanding contribution to the team. MI, along with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), are recognised as the most successful teams in IPL history, each having secured five titles. Rohit, who recently captained India in the ODI World Cup final, has been at the helm of Mumbai Indians since 2013, leading them to their first IPL trophy that year. Under Rohit's leadership, the team went on to win additional titles in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. In the 2023 IPL season, MI reached the playoffs, further showcasing their consistent performance in the league.

This notable change also brings up queries regarding Rohit's career prospects in the shorter format of the game. The 36-year-old suffered a heartbreak following India's failure to clinch the ODI World Cup title against Australia, especially after a remarkable streak of 10 consecutive victories in the tournament hosted on home soil.

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