'Without any conversation with Rohit Sharma...' - Praveen Kumar opines on Hardik Pandya's appointment as MI captain

Former India’s swing bowler Praveen Kumar recently sat with Times of India for a quick interview and therein he made some strict statements against Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan for snubbing domestic cricket. In the same interview, he was also asked to reflect on the topic of Hardik Pandya replacing Rohit Sharma as the captain of Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024.

Before the mini-player auction for the 2024 edition, Mumbai Indians made a trade deal with Gujarat Titans to bring back Hardik Pandya, who led GT towards a title win in only his first full season as captain. With MI knowing that Pandya would want captaincy, it was impossible to get him only on the basis of his playing skills.

Mark Boucher’s Claim On Rohit Sharma

So, the Mumbai Indians, as it was explained by Mark Boucher, thought it was a good opportunity for them to bring Pandya back by keeping the future in mind. The South African had also claimed that Rohit Sharma would be stepping down from IPL after a few more seasons and that his performance with the bat hasn’t been up to the mark.

“He hasn’t had best couple of seasons of late with the bat but he has done well as a captain. I just thought speaking to the whole Mumbai Indians group that this could be an opportunity for him to step in for his last year or so.”

“We still want him as a player as we believe he has some great value to add and just enjoy it. The pressure will be there as he will captain India but when he will step into IPL, the pressure maybe a little less. Rohit is a great guy. He has done really well for Mumbai Indians but also for India as well. It’s like he walks into a place and there is camera everywhere and he is so busy,” Mark Boucher had said in a podcast. 

His comments created plenty of controversy and fans on social media started speculating if Mumbai Indians are beginning to fall out of place slowly. Many former cricketers have come forward with their own reactions with some claiming that it will be a bad decision while others feel, it’s a calculated decision.

Praveen Kumar says Rohit Sharma will not be affected under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy

Praveen Kumar stated that Hardik Pandya’s appointment as the new MI captain could not have happened without keeping Rohit Sharma in the loop. He also claimed that Pandya’s captaincy will not affect Rohit because he knows he has to score runs and that he knows his role very well.

“Rohit knows his role really well. He knows he has to go in the middle and score runs. I don’t think it would affect Rohit in any way because he knows his role very well. It won’t matter to Rohit whether he is a captain or not. He is a mature and experienced cricketer.”

“I am sure Mumbai Indians management must have spoken to Rohit before taking this decision. Without any conversation and talk with Rohit, MI can’t take this big decision.” – Praveen Kumar told TOI.