‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma stepped back onto the familiar ground of Wankhede Stadium during Mumbai Indians versus Rajasthan Royals' IPL 2024 clash on April 1. This marked his first time there since being replaced as captain by Hardik Pandya in December 2023. Rohit had held the captaincy for a decade, leading the Mumbai Indians to an impressive five IPL titles. Monday's match against the Rajasthan Royals was a unique one for Rohit. It was his first time playing an IPL game at Wankhede without the captain's armband since 2013. Despite the change, there were signs of good sportsmanship. Cameras captured a friendly moment between Rohit and his former teammate Harbhajan Singh, suggesting a jovial mood before the game began.
Rohit-Harbhajan's bromance on display
The ex-Indian spinner is currently serving as a commentator in the active tournament. While Rohit Sharma was seen practicing on the field, Harbhajan Singh was engaged in his commentary responsibilities. A video that quickly spread across social media shows Rohit and Harbhajan approaching each other, leading to Rohit lifting Harbhajan in a friendly hug. Rohit also exchanged greetings with Mohammad Kaif and Navjot Singh Sidhu.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
Talking about the match, MI suffered their third straight defeat in the ongoing season of the IPL, following six-wicket loss to RR to continue their stay at the bottom of the points table.
Put to bat first, Rohit did not perform as expected, getting dismissed for a golden duck in the opening over. He nicked a delivery from Trent Boult to the wicketkeeper, where Sanju Samson executed an impressive catch. Royals managed to limit the Mumbai Indians to a paltry score of 125/9.
Trent Boult was instrumental in demolishing Mumbai's batting lineup early on by taking out Rohit, Naman Dhir, and Dewald Brevis, all for golden ducks. Nandre Burger also took out Ishan Kishan for a low score, leaving Mumbai struggling at 20 for 4. Despite a 56-run partnership between Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma that provided some stability, but only to see his side crashing.
In reply, RR rode on another heroic act by Riyan Parag, who scored an unbeaten 54 off 39 balls to take his team home with six wickets and 27 balls to spare.
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