On the occasion of Ritika Sajdeh's 36th birthday, Mumbai Indians extended their wishes on Instagram with a post featuring Rohit Sharma. However, the birthday celebration took an unexpected turn as fans flooded the comments section expressing discontent over Rohit's removal as captain.
India skipper Rohit Sharma's wife, Ritika Sajdeh is celebrating her 36th birthday today. To wish their former skipper's wife, IPL franchise Mumbai Indians took to Instagram and shared a birthday post for her. However, the post did not go down well with MI supporters as they bombarded the comment section, expressing their anger at the removal of Rohit as the captain for the upcoming season. Rohit, who led Mumbai Indians to the IPL title five times, was replaced by all-rounder Hardik Pandya as the captain.
Taking to Instagram, MI shared a picture of Rohit and Ritika and wished the latter on her birthday. MI wrote, "Always our Number 1 supporter. Happy Birthday, Ritika! Have a good one."
However, many fans showed solidarity towards Rohit and expressed their anger in the comments section.
Mahela Jayawardene, Mumbai Indians' Global Head of Cricket, admitted that replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the team's captain was a tough decision but termed it a necessary call with future in mind.
Pandya's return to MI as captain had evoked sharp responses from the teams' fan base, but Jayawardene asserted that Rohit will remain an integral part of the side.
"It was a tough decision. It was emotional, to be honest. It's fair on the fans as well (to react). I think everyone is emotional and we have to respect that as well. But at the same time, as a franchise, you have to make those decisions," Jayawardene told Jio Cinema.
"Probably, everyone in their eyes will think it is too soon, but it is a decision we had to make at some point," Jayawardene said.
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