Since word of Hardik Pandya’s surprising comeback to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans circulated, there has been much conjecture over whether renowned skipper Rohit Sharma will wave farewell to the franchise.
Former Indian cricketer and ex-chief selector K Srikkanth, on the other hand, dismissed these allegations. He believes Hardik will be MI’s next captain, but there will be no bad blood between him and Rohit since it will be part of the future transition.
On his YouTube channel, Srikkanth spoke about Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma:
“No no (not the end for Rohit). It’s about a smooth transition. It happened between Sachin and Rohit. Now it’s time for Rohit to Hardik. It’s going to be a smooth transition.
“At the end of the day, Rohit and Hardik share a wonderful relationship. Obviously, they will make Hardik Pandya the captain. Rohit Sharma will be a key figure and ensure a smooth transition. You need a smooth transition to avoid hiccups in the team.”
K Srikkanth
Srikkanth used the captaincy changeover between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli as an example:
“Look at what Dhoni did with India. There was a smooth transition between him and Kohli. It was a fantastic transition. Yes, Dhoni also played under Kohli.
“It will be like Guru-Shishya. Yes, Hardik will be leading the team, Rohit will be there. It will be a smooth transition like Dhoni and Kohli in the Indian team.”
K Srikkanth
Hardik Pandya is a fabulous addition to Mumbai Indians: K Srikkanth
If the rumor of Hardik Pandya’s transfer is genuine, Srikkanth believes MI has pulled off a big coup.
He believes GT simply looked at it from a commercial standpoint by getting an unknown transfer fee:
“Yes, it’s a huge surprise. But then, it’s a fantastic addition for Mumbai Indians. MI only made Mumbai Indians. I can’t forget Hardik hitting those sixes against Chennai Super Kings in 2015. Yes, MI needed an all-rounder. When it comes to trading, you might have a lot of questions.
He added:
“You might ask ‘why Gujarat Titans are realising their captain?’. Maybe they are looking at it as a business. Yes, it’s a huge surprise because he was their captain when they won the title and reached the final.”
K Srikkanth
The deadline for IPL teams to submit their list of retained players before the December 19 auction in Dubai is 4 p.m. IST on Sunday, November 26.