Ravichandran Ashwin Picks His Side In Rohit Sharma vs Hardik Pandya Captaincy Debate

Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his views on the much-talked-about captaincy of Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024. The captaincy of the franchise has become a huge subject of speculation after the return of Hardik Pandya. The allrounder, last Sunday (November 26), sealed a sensational trade to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans after spending two highly successful seasons with the latter.

While Mumbai Indians have struggled to do well in recent seasons under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, Hardik Pandya has enhanced his reputation as a captain after two impressive seasons with Gujarat Titans. In 2022, he led the Titans to their maiden IPL title in their very first season. Earlier this year, he led the team to the final once again where they lost to Chennai Super Kings.

Ravichandran Ashwin on Mumbai India’s captaincy:

Speculations are rife that Hardik Pandya might replace Rohit Sharma as the captain of the team ahead of the next IPL season. However, Ravichandran Ashwin believes Rohit Sharma is still the man to lead Mumbai Indians. He also stated that there would be no problem in the franchise regarding the captaincy as it would have kept things very clear.

“Not really (Hardik straightforward choice to lead MI?). Rohit, the leader, has got a lot of miles to run. I think they might have a progression plan. That’s the right thing to say. They would have given clarity to both of them.

“Mumbai is a top franchise, like CSK. I think they would have kept the communication lines clear. They would have spoken to both Hardik and Rohit. And they will go ahead and do it. That’s an inner sanctum. We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ravichandran Ashwin told former India cricketer S Badrinath on his YouTube show.

“I see both of them as hardcore, loyal players. Winning 5 titles is not a joke. If CSK win a title, Rohit is lifting the next one. Rohit has gone a long way. I know him since my teenage days. I am glad for the players. It’s good to see franchises valuing players. He was sold for Rs 10 lakh once, today he is a multi-million dollar player,” he added.

Rohit Sharma has been leading Mumbai Indians since 2013 and is one of the most decorated captains in the history of the league. He has led the team to five IPL titles so far with the last one coming in 2020.