DC vs MI: Anil Kumble debunks Robin Uthappa's claims, reveals inside details of Rohit Sharma's appointment as MI captain

Former India leg-spinner and head coach Anil Kumble has revealed what went behind the scenes when Mumbai Indians appointed Rohit Sharma as the captain. 

Anil Kumble recently sat along with veteran India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and therein, he was asked to describe the transitionary phase in MI's leadership. Kumble, who was a part of Mumbai's coaching team in 2013 - the franchise's first title-winning season - admitted that it was the management's decision to see Rohit Sharma lead the team. 

How was Rohit Sharma's appointment made? 

In that season, MI had signed former Aussie captain Ricky Ponting with a vision to see the team lift the IPL trophy under his captaincy. However, Mumbai started off very badly as they lost a couple of games on the trot with their chances of reaching the playoffs looking bleak. 

That's when the MI management led by former India head coach John Wright stepped in and decided to have a change in captaincy. There were a couple of options for the replacement like former skipper Sachin Tendulkar as well as off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. 

However, Kumble and Wright decided to approach Rohit Sharma for the role, given that he was quite young at that time and also had a bright future. The former leg-spinner also admitted that Ricky Ponting was very kind to walk away from captaincy and let someone else take care of the franchise.   

"The first few games didn't go well. Mumbai didn't win enough games. There was pressure to change that because only 4 players we had to replace. So Ricky was kind enough to step aside and that's when we decided that we'll go with Rohit," Anil Kumble told Ravi Ashwin. 

What was Rohit's reaction?

When Anil Kumble and John Wright approached Rohit Sharma for MI captaincy, the 2009 IPL winner with Deccan Chargers grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Kumble disclosed that Rohit did not have any sort of hesitation to accept their offer and was rather confident that he would be able to do the job for the team. 

Anil Kumble clears it , Ricky Ponting stepped down from Captaincy, it was smooth transition and that’s why they won championships. pic.twitter.com/nNkne5t9d5

— User45 (@140of113) April 24, 2024

"What was very evident with Rohit when we, John Wright and I, I still remember when we walked into his room in Calcutta, we were playing KKR I think and so when we went to Rohit, he was extremely confident. You know there was no hesitation when we said, 'Rohit are you ready to captain?" Kumble added. 

Anil Kumble also said that Rohit Sharma showed no signs of contemplation (about MI captaincy) despite the presence of some big names like Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, and Harbhajan Singh among others. And that was how Rohit was appointed as the captain and the rest, as we know, is history. 

"There was no hesitation despite all these big names being a part of the team so that stood out. I mean that's what you want. The first time that you express or show that you know 'are you ready to take the responsibility' and if there is no hesitation and you're confident, that sort of gives it on and Rohit was very clear that he was ready to take over," Kumble concluded.      

With his recent remarks, Anil Kumble discredited the claims that were made by Robin Uthappa that the Mumbai Indians captaincy was taken away from Ricky Ponting and handed to Rohit Sharma. Uthappa made his claims while talking about Hardik Pandya replacing Rohit Sharma at Mumbai Indians as skipper.

"Hardik Pandya is their discovery. They did it through their scouting methods. So they are essentially looking at a pure Mumbai Indians boy. When captaincy was given to Rohit Sharma it was taken from Ricky Ponting in the middle of the season. This is the same franchise. All the senior guys Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, and Ricky Ponting supported Rohit," Uthappa said in the TRS podcast.