Before the end of 2023, the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise dropped a bomb by announcing Hardik Pandya as the captain, ending Rohit Sharma’s glorious captaincy era.
Hardik was brought back by the MI franchise, from Gujarat Titans (GT), in a mega trade ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. With him replacing Rohit, the move met with mixed reactions.
Two months since Hardik’s appointment, MI head coach Mark Boucher opined on the team management’s decision regarding the big call. Boucher stated that ‘it was a purely cricketing decision’ and lesser responsibilities will help Rohit enjoy as a player, following some ordinary run with the bat in the recent IPL seasons.
Speaking on Smash Sports Podcast, Boucher said, “I think it was purely a cricketing decision. We saw the window period to get Hardik back as a player. For me it’s a transition phase. A lot of people don’t understand in India, people get quite emotional, but you know you take the emotions away from it.