Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has high admiration for former Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma. He said that the star batter will remain a respectable figure despite losing the captaincy ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Rohit Sharma, who guided Mumbai to five IPL victories during his tenure, was abruptly sacked as captain before IPL 2024. Hardik Pandya was appointed the franchise’s new captain after being traded from the Gujarat Titans (GT) for all cash.
The action has sparked widespread criticism from fans, with Pandya even being booed during MI’s matches. During the captaincy drama, Sidhu said on the microblogging platform X (previously known as Twitter) that even attaching a gold necklace to a dog would not get him respect.
The cricketer-turned-commentator wrote:
“हाथी चाहे धूल में सना हो फिर भी सम्मानित होगा | कूकर को सोने की ज़ंज़ीरो में भी बांध दो सम्मानित नहीं होता | (Even if the elephant is covered in dust, it will still be respected. Even tying the dog with a gold chain does not make one respectable).”
Navjot Singh Sidhu
Rohit Sharma has looked in excellent form with the bat in IPL 2024, scoring 43 and 26 in two games thus far. His runs have come at an impressive strike rate of 168.29.
“I have played in an Indian team where five captains used to play together” – Navjot Singh Sidhu on Rohit Sharma playing under Hardik Pandya leadership in IPL 2024
Navjot Singh Sidhu believes that Rohit Sharma playing under Hardik Pandya’s leadership for Mumbai in the IPL 2024 would not make the senior player smaller.
He mentioned that while he was playing, he was part of a squad that included five players who had led India, and there was no disagreement. On Star Sports, Sidhu said:
“I have played in an Indian team where five captains used to play together. Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Ravi Shastri. Pick up a brick and you will find a captain both above and below it. There were no issues because they were playing for their nation. The motivation was to play for your country. So, playing under Hardik does not make Rohit smaller.”
Navjot Singh Sidhu
Mumbai experienced two initial defeats. They’re second last on points. Monday, April 1st, they’ll play Royals at Wankhede Stadium, their first home match.