Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has opined on the change of guard in the Mumbai Indians camp after Hardik Pandya took over the reins as captain on Friday (Dec 15). In a sensational development on Friday, Hardik was announced as the new skipper while Rohit Sharma stepped down after a successful spell as the leader. According to Manjrekar, there should not be too much “sentimental” thinking about the captaincy change ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

Manjrekar opines on Pandya’s new role

“One should not be thinking sentimentally or emotionally about Rohit Sharma. I think it’s a good move as Hardik Pandya is a proven leader and has had a great run. So, he is your in-form T20 captain and player,” Manjrekar said while speaking during the India vs South Africa contest.

ALSO READ | WTC 2023-25: Pakistan’s embarrassing defeat to Australia in Perth hands India top spot

“Rohit has been around for a long time. So, it makes a lot of cricketing sense to have somebody like Hardik,” he stated.

The announcement on Friday came as a big surprise for the cricket fraternity after Rohit decided to step down from his role as captain. Pandya, on the flip side, will look to succeed the successful stint of Rohit having led Gujarat Titans in the previous two seasons. Interestingly, his first year with GT saw him lead them to glory after beating Rajasthan Royals in the final of the 2022 tournament. Hardik also acts as deputy to Rohit in the Indian cricket team but is currently nursing an injury.

Rohit’s stint as captain

Rohit took over the captaincy in 2013 from Ricky Ponting at the midway point of the season and led the team to their first IPL title. Later that year, Rohit also helped Mumbai beat Rajasthan Royals in the final of the Champions League with Sachin Tendulkar playing his final competitive match in Delhi. He then led Mumbai to success in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, becoming the most successful captain in the history of the tournament. Earlier, MS Dhoni joined Rohit Sharma as the joint-best successful captain in the IPL history with five titles.

You can now write for Baazigarnews.com and be a part of the Baazigar family. Share your stories and opinions with us here.