Mumbai Indians' post for Rohit Sharma following his sacking as skipper of the Indian Premier League (IPL) side went viral on social media. Following MI's departing message for the explosive batter, his supporters shared their reactions to the “betrayal” he suffered at the hands of the franchise and Hardik Pandya, who would replace him as skipper during IPL 2024.

“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,” the Mumbai-based team wrote on X, previously Twitter. 

However, Mumbai Indians' write-up did not get appreciation from Rohit Sharma's fans, who accused the franchise of “backstabbing” the Nagpur-born cricketer when he needed their support to the fullest.

 

Interestingly, Hardik Pandya returned to the franchise only days ago, sealing a remarkable comeback to his parent Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans (GT), whom he powered to a maiden IPL title in their first season in 2022.

 

During IPL 2023, Hardik Pandya's team topped the points table during the group stage before making it to the final. However, the Gujarat Titans failed to lift their second successive IPL trophy after losing to MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in the title clash.

 

Following his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2015, Hardik Pandya played for the side for seven consecutive seasons before parting ways to join Gujarat Titans during the 2022 season.

 

During his seven-year stint with Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya was a crucial link in the Rohit Sharma-led team's title-winning campaigns in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.

 

On the other hand, under Rohit Sharma's ten-year stint as captain from 2013 to 2023, Mumbai Indians lifted trophies in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.  

 

But the franchise's performance in the last three years hasn't been as good as it used to be. Moreover, Rohit Sharma turns 37 in April next year, and that's perhaps why the management of Mumbai Indians would have thought about replacing him with a young face to lead the team.

 

Among the first to react to Hardik Pandya's appointment was Mahela Jayawardene, who serves as Mumbai Indians' Global Head of Performance.

 

“It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready. Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin to Harbhajan and Ricky to Rohit, who while contributing to the immediate success have always had an eye on strengthening the team for the future,” Mahela Jayawardene stated.  

 

“It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season,” the Sri Lankan great added.

 

“We express our gratitude to Rohit Sharma for his exceptional leadership; his tenure as the captain of the Mumbai Indians since 2013 has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Mahela Jayawardene continued. 

 

“His leadership has not only brought unparalleled success to the team but has also solidified his place as one of the finest captains in the history of the IPL. Under his guidance, MI became one of the most successful and loved teams ever. We will look forward to his guidance and experience on and off the field to further strengthen MI. We welcome Hardik Pandya as the new captain of MI and wish him all the very best,” he asserted.

 

Though Mumbai Indians have been earning the wrath of fans, especially on various social media platforms, for their decision, former India captain and 1983 World Cup winner backed the move, stressing that Rohit Sharma's performance as a batter hasn't been up to the mark in the last few seasons.

 

“We should not discuss what is right or wrong. The decision taken by Mumbai Indians is for the benefit of their team. In the last two years, Rohit's contributions with the bat were scarce. He used to score heavily, and two seasons ago if I'm not wrong, MI finished last. Last year, they qualified for the Playoffs but the josh that we are used to seeing in him, has been missing. Perhaps he is tired having played non-stop cricket, or captaining India,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

 

“Hardik is a young and fresh captain who has delivered the results. He led Gujarat Titans to two IPL finals and achieved a title once. So pretty sure they made him captain keeping all this in mind. Sometimes you need fresh thinking, and Hardik can bring that. Making Hardik captain may or may not benefit the team, but it sure won't hurt them,” Sunil Gavaskar explained. 

 

Meanwhile, ex-India opener Aakash Chopra described the conclusion of Rohit Sharma's captaincy stint at Mumbai Indians as the end of an era.

 

“Rohit is a legend. It's an end of an era. He led the team for 10 years and won five IPL titles. He worked a lot for this and also earned a lot of fame. But there comes a time when you start thinking about the future. To be fair, the last two years have been average for MI, considering the high standards they have set for themselves,” Aakash Chopra told JioCinema.

 

“While it's extremely important to give someone a chance at the right time, it’s even more critical to decide when to let go of someone. There has been talk on social media that Rohit should have been allowed to leave on his own terms or may be allowed to lead MI in one match before Hardik was asked to take over. I personally don't subscribe to it. There is no one bigger than a team,” he mentioned.

 

Aakash Chopra pointed out that Hardik Pandya wasn't a finished product as captain, and it would be interesting to see how he would lead the Mumbai-based franchise during the 2024 season.

“It's my understanding and not some inside news. When Hardik (Pandya) decided to move from Gujarat, captaincy may have been a part of the deal. This decision would have been definitely communicated to Rohit Sharma as well. Rohit would have also been briefed about Mumbai Indians' future plans,” he expressed. 

 

“I feel Ashish Nehra had a tremendous role in making Hardik the captain he was at Gujarat Titans. So, Mumbai's job is cut out. They have to provide inputs at a different level for Hardik to replicate them on the field, because I don't think Hardik, as a captain, is a finished product yet,” the former India batter concluded.