Reflecting on the hectic past few months, Rohit Sharma said that Hardik Pandya had been his IPL captain before he was appointed as his deputy for the T20 World Cup next month.
“Not everything goes your way,” Rohit Sharma admitted on Thursday, reflecting on a hectic few months in which he lost his IPL captaincy to Hardik Pandya before appointing him as his deputy for next month’s T20 World Cup. Rohit, one of India’s most admired cricketers, was removed as captain of the Mumbai Indians, which was a tough pill to chew for his legion of supporters, many of whom also booed Hardik throughout the team’s first few matches this IPL season.
“Look, it’s a part of life. Not every situation will be favorable to you. It has been a fantastic experience,” the Indian captain remarked during a media session when asked about his time playing under Pandya in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
There has been a lot of speculation about Rohit’s connection with Pandya and how the Mumbai Indians handled the leadership issue, which many believe was not handled well, especially because it featured someone who led the franchise to five IPL titles.
Rohit, who claimed that playing under Pandya is no different from playing under any other skipper, is a tough cookie whose friendly façade belied his true emotions.
“I have played under many captains and I have not held the position previously. “It’s not new or different for me,” stated Rohit, who has captained franchise cricket teams under Adam Gilchrist, Harbhajan Singh, and Ricky Ponting in addition to playing for India under the captains of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, and Virat Kohli.
The 37-year-old took some heat for not scoring enough runs with the willow in the preceding three seasons, but in the tournament’s 17th iteration, he appeared completely different.
“You strive to fulfill your obligations as a player by adhering to whatever is stipulated. Only in the last month or so have I attempted to accomplish that,” Rohit put out any spark that the inquiry could have aroused.
In 10 IPL 2024 innings, India’s skipper Rohit has already scored 314 runs.
