Former Indian and Mumbai Indians off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh believes it remains to be seen whether the dynamic of Rohit Sharma playing alongside Hardik Pandya will benefit the Mumbai Indians (MI) team. In a dramatic move, Mumbai Indians (MI) acquired Hardik Pandya from the Gujarat Titans in a trade and appointed him as captain, replacing the long-standing skipper Rohit Sharma for the upcoming IPL 2024 season.
Only time will tell- Harbhajan Singh
When asked about how the dynamic between Rohit and Hardik would work in an interview with the Times of India, Harbhajan stated that only time will tell if this new arrangement will be successful for Mumbai Indians (MI). He said,
“Only time will tell. Who will be comfortable or who will not? Mumbai Indians have been a solid and formidable franchise in IPL. I am sure they would love to leave the controversies behind and pave the way for the future,”
Rohit Sharma enjoyed remarkable success as the Mumbai Indians (MI) captain from 2013 to 2023, guiding the team to all five IPL titles. On the other hand, Hardik Pandya has demonstrated his captaincy prowess during his two seasons with the Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2022 and 2023. Under his leadership, GT claimed the IPL title in their debut season in 2022 and finished as runners-up in the following year.
He was a captain and a big brother to these youngsters in the series- Harbhajan Singh on Rohit Sharma
Harbhajan Singh has praised Rohit Sharma, noting that all the players in the dressing room love having him around. Singh also feels that Sharma, as a veteran cricketer, has laid the foundation for a young Indian team. Harbhajan Singh played under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in the IPL from 2013 to 2017, contributing to Mumbai Indians (MI) winning three of their five titles during that period.
“Rohit Sharma is a human being the entire dressing room loves. The foundation of this young Indian team has been laid by Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli wasn’t part of the (England) series. In the absence of a stalwart like him, the way the youngsters have performed is just amazing and commendable,” said Harbhajan.
This shows there is no dearth of talent in our youngsters. All they need is a platform. They needed a hand on their shoulders and Rohit played that big role very very well. He was a captain and a big brother to these youngsters in the series. He conveyed a message to them – ‘mai aapke saath hun, aap wo kariye jo aapko aata hai’ (I am with you, do what you know)”, Harbhajan Singh added.
Despite the absence of key senior players such as Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah at different stages of the England series, Rohit Sharma led India admirably, guiding them to a 4-1 series win. This victory propelled India to the top of the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) table.
Also Read: https://goworldwide.co.in/aakash-chopra-on-jitesh-sharmas-chance/