Ever since the mega captaincy switch that saw Hardik Pandya being traded to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans, there has been a lot of speculation around will Rohit ‘hitman’ Sharma play under Pandya or not. On Monday, the new MI skipper broke silence on the issue and said that though he has not spoken to his predecessor so far, he believes there will be no awkwardness between the two.
Addressing the pre-season press conference, Pandya sounded very affectionate when talking about Sharma. The maverick all-rounder said that Sharma will always be the guiding force for him. “He (Rohit Sharma) is going to have his hand on my shoulder,” Pandya said, adding that he has played his entire career under Sharma.
On the backlash from the fans after he was appointed as the MI captain for IPL 17, Pandya said that he will focus on the sports and not what can’t be controlled. However, he added that he respects the opinions of the fans. Pandya said that he will meet Sharma soon once the full squad assembles for the practice game in Mumbai.
The captaincy switch
Last year on December 15, the Mumbai Indians had announced Pandya as the team’s new skipper. This announcement ended Rohit Sharma’s 11-season tenure as MI skipper. Back in 2013, Sharma took over the MI captaincy from Ricky Ponting in mid-season. Till 2023, Mumbai Indians are the only franchise that has won the IPL trophy five times. Apart from MI, Chennai Super Kings are the only team to match the record.