"Nobody Cares.."- Mohammed Shami On Hardik Pandya Leaving Gujarat Titans For Mumbai Indians
Published - 16 Jan 2024, 10:49 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 10:21 AM
India star Mohammed Shami has shared his views on Hardik Pandya leaving Gujarat Titans ahead of the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Despite enjoying two sensational seasons with the Gujarat-based outfit, the India allrounder decided to leave the franchise to return to his former IPL side Mumbai Indians. Hardik Pandya was traded to Mumbai Indians before the auctions. Later, he also replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain of the five-time IPL winners.
Before leaving Gujarat Titans, Hardik Pandya led them in both the seasons that they have played in the IPL so far. In 2022, the 30-year-old led the team to the IPL title as the Titans became only the second team after Rajasthan Royals to win the title in its maiden season. In 2023 too, Gujarat Titans performed well under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya as they made it to the final before losing to Chennai Super Kings.
Mohammed Shami on Hardik Pandya’s exit:
Hardik Pandya led the team from the very front. In 2022, he was his team’s leading run-scorer, scoring 487 runs in addition to picking up eight wickets. In 2023, he scored 346 runs and picked up three wickets. Hardik Pandya’s departure will be a big blow for the Titans but Mohammed Shami has different opinions.
The fast-bowler came up with an interesting answer when a journalist asked him about the impact Pandya’s departure could have on the team. In reply, Mohammed Shami said: “Kisi ke jane se kisi ko fark nahi padta. (The departure of someone doesn’t make a difference to someone else).”
Watch:
View this post on Instagram
With Pandya gone, Shubman Gill has been appointed as the captain of the Titans. The youngster is yet to lead a team in the IPL and will be hoping to make an instant impact as a captain. The onus will be on Mohammed Shami as well to help the team well.
The fast bowler’s performance has been one of the main reasons behind the franchise’s impressive displays in the last two editions of the competition. In IPL 2022, he picked up 20 wickets before claiming 28 wickets in 2023.
Gujarat Titans squad for IPL 2024:
David Miller, Shubman Gill (c), Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, B. Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma, Azmatullah Omarzai, Umesh Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi, Manav Suthar, Spencer Johnson, Robin Minz.
