Mumbai Indians captaincy: Irfan Pathan, Sanjay Manjrekar, Harsha Bhogle caution Hardik Pandya

Many former Indian cricketers have supported Mumbai Indians move to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain for IPL 2024. At the same time the former cricketers also said that Pandya will be under pressure in his new role with so many senior players in the side and the spotlight on captaincy.

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan, speaking to Star Sports, highlighted the challenge that Hardik will face in managing senior players like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah, who are all leaders themselves. Pathan believes that Hardik will have to learn how to manage these players, which will not be an easy task.

"Hardik will have to learn to manage these guys and it will be his biggest challenge. And this won't be easy for him," said Pathan. Besides that Pandya will be replacing Rohit Sharma, who has led Mumbai Indians to five titles, a feat only equalled by MS Dhoni-led CSK.


"The stature that Rohit Sharma has in Mumbai Indians, I think it can be compared to the stature that Dhoni has in CSK. He has made this team with his own hard work and dedication through his captaincy," Pathan added.

Pathan also highlighted the fact that Rohit Sharma had led a Mumbai Indians to the IPL 2023 playoffs despite injuries to several key players.

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar supported Mumbai Indians move to name Hardik Pandya as skipper but he said that the pressure will be high on Pandya. "He (Hardik Pandya) is a proven leader and player. Rohit has been around for a long time. I hope that he (Pandya) does not feel the pressure....how it has happened...the transfer from Gujarat Titans and later being named captain," he said.

Ace cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle in a tweet that "while this is a move keeping in mind the next few years, it will be a huge challenge for Hardik given the number of stars in the side and the ambition of the franchise. It makes Mumbai Indians the team to watch this year."

Sunil Gavaskar believes Hardik Pandya's leadership will bring "fresh thinking" to the Mumbai Indians, attributing the change to Rohit Sharma's apparent "fatigue" and his not-so-good IPL form over the past few years. Gavaskar suggests the move is strategic, referring to the Rohit Sharma's burden of captaining both the India team and Mumbai Indians. The former India opener highlighted Hardik's success with the Gujarat Titans, when Pandya led the team to IPL trophy in the debut season and final in the next edition.