The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 is set to witness a major change in the leadership of one of the most successful franchises, Mumbai Indians (MI). The team has announced that Hardik Pandya will replace Rohit Sharma as the captain for the upcoming season. This decision has sparked a lot of debate and speculation among the cricket fans and experts, especially former India opener Sunil Gavaskar, who has shared his views on this matter.
Gavaskar, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, has praised Pandya’s captaincy skills and expressed his confidence in him. He said that Pandya’s appointment shows MI’s philosophy of being future-ready and staying true to their legacy. He also said that Pandya’s fresh approach and energy will benefit the team in various aspects.
According to Gavaskar, the Mumbai Indians’ decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the captain was influenced by Rohit’s apparent fatigue from leadership responsibilities in both the IPL and international cricket. He said that Rohit had been leading MI for 10 years and had won five IPL titles with them. He also said that Rohit had been leading India in all formats since 2019 and had led them to many memorable victories.
Gavaskar said that while he respects Rohit’s achievements as a captain, he also understands that he might need a break from time to time. He said that Pandya was a natural choice to take over from him as he had been with MI since 2015 and had played under him for seven seasons. He said that Pandya had learned a lot from him and had developed his own style of leadership.
Gavaskar also compared Pandya’s captaincy with Sharma’s and found similarities between them. He said that both of them were aggressive captains who liked to take risks and play attacking cricket. He said that both of them were also versatile players who could contribute with both bat and ball. He said that both of them were also passionate about winning and motivating their teammates.
Gavaskar concluded by saying that he was impressed with Pandya’s performance as a captain in Gujarat Titans, where he led them to two consecutive finals in 2022 and 2023. He said that Pandya had shown his class as a player and his potential as a leader. He said that he was looking forward to seeing how Pandya will lead MI in IPL 2024.
