IPL 2024: Why Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit Sharma as MI captain? Coach Boucher reveals real reason (WATCH)
India was rocked by a cricketing upheaval following Mumbai Indians' announcement of Hardik Pandya replacing Rohit Sharma as the franchise captain. Months later, coach Mark Boucher has broken his silence, revealing the reason behind this controversial decision.
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FollowThe cricketing world in India erupted in controversy when Mumbai Indians announced the decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the captain of the franchise. Rohit, who has steered the team to five IPL titles, will now focus solely on his batting, while Hardik, acquired from Gujarat Titans, assumes the leadership role. While fans grapple with this unexpected move, Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher shed light on the rationale behind the decision.
Given Rohit's age of 36 and his waning prowess as a batsman, Mumbai Indians made the bold choice to elevate Hardik as the skipper. They placed their trust in Hardik's track record of guiding Gujarat Titans to two consecutive IPL finals, clinching victory in one of them.
"I think it was purely a cricketing decision. We saw the window period to get Hardik back as a player. For me it's a transition phase. A lot of people don't understand in India, people get quite emotional But you know you take the emotions away from it. I think it's just more of a cricketing decision that was made and I do think it is going to bring the best out of Rohit as a person as a player. Just let him go out and enjoy and score some good runs," Mark Boucher said on Smash Sports podcast.
Boucher emphasized that the non-cricketing aspects of the IPL played a significant role in this decision. He stressed the importance of relieving Rohit of additional responsibilities, allowing him to focus solely on his batting. Rohit has faced challenges in delivering his best with the bat in recent seasons, and Boucher aims to ensure he can enjoy his time as a batter without the added burden of leadership duties.
"I mean one of the things I have spoken about is when you arrive at the IPL and he (Chris Morris) will be able to tell you as well that there's a lot of stuff going on, there's photoshoots and this and that and a lot of emphasis is not actually on the cricket. It's more about the advertising and all that sort of stuff," says Boucher.
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