Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar is one of the few people in the cricketing fraternity who feels that Mumbai Indians' decision to replace captain Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya is justified.
MI shocked the entire world by bringing back Pandya to their franchise and naming him as their next captain ahead of IPL 2024.
The decision was met with criticism from Indian cricket and Rohit Sharma's fans but Gavaskar reckons that they are looking at Pandya as their future skipper as Rohit was probably tiring due to the load of responsibilities.
Gavaskar explains rationale behind MI's decision
"We shouldn't go into rights and wrongs. But, the decision they have taken is for the benefit of the team. In the last two years, Rohit's contribution, even with the bat, has dipped a little bit. Earlier, he used to score big, but in the last two years they finished No. 9 or No. 10 the year before last year and in the last year they qualified for the playoffs.
"But we missed seeing the mojo in Rohit Sharma that we used to see in the previous few years. Maybe, he was a little tired because of playing continuous cricket, he was a little tired because of captaincy, leading India and the franchise," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
MI let go of their most successful skipper
Rohit was the first captain to win the IPL five times before Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni joined him in the exclusive two-man club.
Pandya on the other hand, showcased his leadership skills in his maiden season with the Gujarat Titans.
Pandya joined Shane Warne in becoming the only the second captain to win the league in his first season while leading an IPL team. The late Shane Warne had first achieved the feat in the inaugural IPL season in 2008 with the Rajasthan Royals.
Rohit tired?
"I feel that the decision, they have kept in mind that Hardik is a young captain who has produced results. Hardik has led Gujarat to the finals twice, and he led them to the title in 2022. I think they have made him captain by considering all this," Gavaskar added.
