Follow UsMumbai Indians’ newly-appointed skipper Hardik Pandya feels his reunion with Rohit Sharma won’t be awkward ahead of the 2024 IPL. Prior to the auction, the ace all-rounder was controversially traded from Gujarat Titans, and then the MI management doubled down on the trade by making him the skipper. The move upset a vast majority of MI fans, who were understandably furious that the Rohit captaincy era came to a rather abrupt end.
“There won’t be any confusion. He is still the India captain. What this team has achieved was achieved under his belt. I am just carrying it forward. I have played all my cricket with MI with Rohit as captain, so I am sure he will always be around to help me out,” said Pandya, who led Gujarat to the title in their maiden year and then also helped them finish as runners-up in 2023.
So, has he managed to have a word with Rohit? “Yes and no. Rohit has been travelling non-stop (with the Indian team). I will definitely catch up with him when he joins the squad,” said Pandya.
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Pandya played as a finisher for Mumbai but primarily batted in the top-four for the Titans. The 30-year-old, however, has made it clear that he will once again return to finishing games for MI. “This IPL, I will play as an all-rounder and finish as many games as possible, enjoy the position I have always loved.”
When asked about having Jasprit Bumrah in his arsenal, Pandya said: “Jassi has been our no. 1 bowler and he has been a champion cricketer. Last year, they did miss him. Excited to have him back full throttle and him guiding the youngsters in the camp.”
This will be an important tournament for Pandya who is making his return from an injury he sustained during the ODI World Cup. Pandya, who didn’t play any competitive cricket for almost four months, recently featured in the DY Patil T20 Cup. There’s a T20 World Cup around the corner as well but Pandya isn’t looking too far ahead.
“It was a freak injury and had nothing to do with my previous injuries. We tried to push too hard for a return during the World Cup. I have no issues with my body and intend to play all matches,” said Pandya.
“I am a firm believer that you should be playing for the team that you are playing for. Everyone can have goals and targets of playing for the national team. But we should be honest and I will tell my boys to deliver our best for Mumbai Indians. In that way, if someone gets a call-up for the Indian team, I would be happy.”
Mumbai will start their IPL 2024 campaign against Gujarat on Sunday (March 24) in Ahmedabad.