Legendary Indian cricket team batter Sunil Gavaskar supported the decision taken by Mumbai Indians to appoint Hardik Pandya as the skipper in place of Rohit Sharma ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. The decision has split the fanbase with rumours of a rift between the two players dominating headlines. Pandya completed a sensational trade from Gujarat Titans and his appointment as the skipper ended Rohit's ten-year tenure. In a recent analysis. Gavaskar said that Pandya as skipper will benefit the franchise and as a result, Rohit will have the freedom to play without any pressure.
"Look, they have always thought about the future of the franchise. Rohit Sharma is already 36 years old and also faces immense pressure, being the captain of India for all three formats. They have tried to reduce some of that burden and give that responsibility on the young shoulders of Hardik Pandya," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
"Handing Hardik, the captaincy is only going to benefit the Mumbai Indians. They have now given the freedom to Rohit to go and express himself freely at the top of the order. Hardik can then come at No.3 or No.5 and help them post totals of 200-plus consistently," Gavaskar added.
Meanwhile, MI coach Mark Boucher had explained the thought process that led to making this tough call.
"I think it was purely a cricketing decision. We saw the window period to get Hardik back as a player. For me it's a transition phase. A lot of people don't understand in India, people get quite emotional But you know you take the emotions away from it. I think it's just more of a cricketing decision that was made and I do think it is going to bring the best out of Rohit as a person as a player. Just let him go out and enjoy and score some good runs," Mark Boucher said on Smash Sports podcast.