Former Indian opening batter, Navjot Singh Sidhu, expressed understanding regarding fans’ outrage. They booed Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians’ new captain replacing Rohit Sharma for IPL 2024. The former cricketer, now a commentator, backed Rohit. Sidhu asserted Rohit Sharma didn’t do anything wrong to warrant removal as skipper.
After Hardik Pandya replaced the experienced opener as Mumbai Indians captain, supporters reacted angrily on social media. Fans have booed the all-rounder in all three matches at the toss, including at the Wankhede Stadium prior of Mumbai’s match against the Rajasthan Royals on Monday.
Sidhu remarked on the Star Sports Press Room Show that the BCCI should have specified last year that Rohit Sharma will return as India’s captain for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“Nobody can digest the fact that India’s hero, India’s captain, is not the captain of our franchise. ‘What wrong has he done?’ is what fans of the franchise would be thinking. But what does he have to do? There is nothing that succeeds like success.”
“If he had won these two matches, there wouldn’t have been any noise. If India would have announced earlier in October that Rohit Sharma would return as the India T20I captain in 2024, then the franchise might not have taken the call. Because they would have thought that how can India captain not be the captain of the franchise.”
Navjot Singh Sidhu
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah revealed just in February that the 36-year-old will captain India in the T20 World Cup 2024, which begins on June 2. He also voiced faith in India’s capacity to win the trophy.
Rohit Sharma Falls for a Golden Duck as Mumbai Indians Suffer Third Consecutive Defeat
The experienced opener was removed for a golden duck in the first over of the innings by Trent Boult, making the most recent Mumbai Indians game memorable for him. In an amazing opening session, the left-arm seamer also dismissed Naman Dhir and Dewald Brevis for golden ducks, putting the home team on the back foot.
Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma were the only Mumbai Indians hitters to score over 30 runs, while the team managed just 125/9 in 20 overs. Akash Madhwal caused a mini-collapse for the Royals, taking three of their four wickets, but Riyan Parag’s 54* propelled his team beyond the goal quickly.