Earlier in December 2023, Pandya was named as Mumbai Indians’ captain after being traded from Gujarat Titans and replaced Rohit Sharma ahead of the IPL 2024 auction.

Though Pandya admits his move of leaving GT and replacing Rohit as MI skipper did upset a few legions of IPL fans, he also made it clear that MI icon Rohit will remain the guiding force.

ALSO READ: ‘He will always have his hand on my shoulder’: Hardik Pandya opens up on rapport with Rohit Sharma

Pandya-Rohit interaction:

Both the famous Indian cricketers — Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya — met at the practice session of Mumbai Indians at the iconic Wankhede Stadium while the team prepared for the upcoming IPL 2024.

On 20 March, Mumbai Indians shared a video on Instagram where all-rounder Pandya could be seen reaching out to Rohit in his first meeting post the MI captaincy row.

Following this, the rumours of a rift between the two superstars of the franchise seem to be fading away.

A couple of days ago, Pandya during a media interaction in Mumbai was all praise for former captain Rohit. “It will not be any different, he will always be there to help me. You mentioned that he is the captain of the Indian team, which helps me because this team, what it has achieved, it has achieved under him. From now onwards, it is (about) what he has achieved, I just have to carry forward that,” Pandya said.

Will Pandya be able to emulate Rohit at MI?

Looking at Rohit’s term as MI skipper, the franchise lifted the famous trophy in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. Rohit even captained MI in 158 games, where MI won 87 and lost 67 games. According to the IPL 2024 schedule, MI will meet GT in their IPL 2024 opener on Sunday.

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Published: 20 Mar 2024, 10:11 PM IST