Removing a captain of the stature of Rohit Sharma and replacing him with Hardik Pandya is certainly a bod call. Mumbai Indians didn't budge from making the call ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction but a section of fans is understandably not happy with the change. However, former Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan feels the decision has been made by MI keeping in mind the 'long-term benefits' that the franchise hopes to reap from making Hardik the skipper.
Rohit led Mumbai Indians in 10 IPL seasons, winning the title in 5 of them. Hadik, on the other hand, has a similar success ratio though his sample size at Gujarat Titans is quite small. In two seasons as the captain of GT, Hardik won one title while reaching the final in the other.
"If you look at the franchise itself, they have had a very forward-thinking, logic-driven and future-proof driven style of strategy for a long time," Morgan told the Times of India. "A decision like this reinforces that the franchise always comes first."
"You probably see this as being a tough decision that they've made hoping that the long-term benefits will see MI lifting another championship in the coming years. So, in a way, you've to admire the courage that it takes to make a decision like that because not every team would take that decision," he further said.
A lot is changing in Rohit's cricketing career, with there being question marks on his future as the captain of India's white-ball teams too.
With the T20 World Cup set to be held next year, reports suggest that Rohit seems to be the selection committee's No. 1 choice at present, despite the fact that he hasn't played a T20 international since the conclusion of the 2022 T20 World Cup.