Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar believes that the appointment of Hardik Pandya as the new leader will introduce ‘fresh thinking’ into the Mumbai Indians (MI) camp as Rohit Sharma seemed fatigued and has not made sufficient contributions with the bat in the last few years.
India’s skipper was traded to MI before the 2024 IPL auction, set to occur in Dubai on December 19.
Rohit and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni stand out as the most successful captains in the IPL, each leading their teams to five titles in the lucrative league. Despite this, the MI have faced a title drought since 2021 and finished last in the 2022 edition.
Gavaskar speculates that Rohit's apparent fatigue may be attributed to continuous playing commitments, serving not only as the IPL team skipper but also as the captain of the Indian cricket team.
"See, we don't have to look at it (decision to appoint Hardik as MI captain) as right or wrong. The decision they (MI) have taken has been for the benefit of the team. We can say that the contribution of Rohit, even with the bat, has become slightly lesser," Gavaskar told Star Sports.
"Earlier, there used to be a lot of contribution (with bat) from Rohit, but in the last few years, they have finished at number 9 or 10. And last year they qualified for the playoffs, but the 'josh' (enthusiasm) of Mumbai Indians was not there to be seen as we have seen in the past.”
"Maybe because he has played cricket continuously he must have been fatigued, constantly captaining the Indian side and then Mumbai Indians," added Gavaskar.
After leading Gujarat Titans (GT) to a title triumph in their inaugural year in 2022, Hardik also captained his team to a runners-up finish this year. The cricketer-turned-commentator believes that the 30-year-old has demonstrated his capabilities for the Gujarat franchise, and his return to MI will bring new ideas to the team.
"So, the decision that they have taken, he is a young player, young in terms of captaining a side, who has proven himself, taking Gujarat Titans to the finals twice and winning it once.”
"So with the same thought process, they have made him captain. Because sometimes you need that fresh thinking, and he can bring that fresh thinking and I think the decision that has been taken, Mumbai Indians can benefit from it and won't damage them”, the 74-year-old said.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan said that Hardik's major challenge at MI would be handling senior players such as Rohit, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah, all of whom hold leadership roles themselves.
"Now that this decision about Hardik Pandya has been taken, I think Suryakumar Yadav was involved in this discussion, Bumrah was in it as well, so for Hardik Pandya, the biggest challenge will be with all these people -- Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, who are leaders themselves, they have been captains of the Indian team in the past.”
"Hardik will have to learn to manage these guys and it will be his biggest challenge. And this won't be easy for him," said Pathan.
He compared Rohit's standing to that of Dhoni, noting that the stalwart had built the Mumbai franchise through his dedication and hard work.
"The stature that Rohit Sharma has in Mumbai Indians, I think it can be compared to the stature that Dhoni has in CSK. He has made this team with his own hard work and dedication through his captaincy.”
"He's a great captain who has carried this team for years and last year, with the team they had, many people thought they could qualify for the playoffs. They qualified, even though they didn't have (pacer) Jofra Archer and their bowling was light”, Pathan added.
"Even their form wasn't good. They didn't have the facilities of Bumrah (who was recovering from injury," he concluded.
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