When Hardik Pandya entered the storied Mumbai Indians locker room eight years ago, his heart was pounding and his thoughts were frozen. He goes back to the same spot, where the same famous names are still present, but now he is the captain of the team, supremely powerful. Pandya, who was gifted with a personality that accentuates his skills, became one of the world’s most proficient all-rounders between the summer of 2015 and the winter of 2023. After two successful years with Gujarat Titans, he returns not as the prodigal son but rather as a proven one. He is a colorful personality who can be controversial at times.
In terms of stature, aura, and insider knowledge of the club’s operations, there would not have been a more suitable candidate to succeed Rohit Sharma. It is not necessary for Hardik to become acquainted with the changing room or the changing room with him. He was like that heavy, unmovable chair you had to give your neighbor for a wedding. Or Hardik coming back from a protracted injury absence instead of honing his managerial skills with a different team.
Even the Titans team, which Rohit instilled with the Mumbai Indians’ image, benefited from his captaincy style. There were similarities to Rohit, akin to virtuosos from the same gharana, in his hands-on style, faith in the players he has chosen, and perseverance with youth. There are certain lines that overlap, but Hardik is not a Rohit clone. They are also incompatible: Rohit is the level-headed one, while Pandaya is the fiery one. However, you can see the influences, and Rohit might be Hardik’s ice.
Presumably, there would be no friction during the shift. There would be no unease in either of them. Hardik wouldn’t be crushed by the weight of Rohit’s success—he and MS Dhoni are the only captains to win two IPL titles together. He is not afraid of responsibilities; in fact, they bring out the best in him. He had become much more mature and wiser as a result of becoming a father and captain, as well as the fallout from his embarrassing Coffee With Karan incident. In a similar vein, Rohit is too accommodating and professional a cricketer to harbor hurt feelings, plot a rebellion out of rage, or be divided by tiny self-interest. or allow those feelings to show on the outside. The axiom of the game is that captains are not captains for life. Legends like Lasith Malinga, Kieron, and Harbhajan Singh were on the IPL team he inherited.
An outsider may see the captaincy change as a representation of the ruthlessness of franchise cricket at a team that harbors cold feelings in its quest for glory and that splashes millions just as easily as it fires underperforming millionaires. This move may have been sparked by the need to start over and pure long-term planning, but it also may have been prompted by not taking home the trophy after three years. They have occasionally appeared to be a team in need of a new coat of paint over the past few seasons. Alternatively, it might not have been a better opportunity to get his signature. He might end up being an Indian captain, similar to what Rohit and MS Dhoni were to their respective franchisees.
Dhoni was the captain of India in just the developing Twenty20 format when CSK selected him. He would soon ascend to prominence in other formats and rank among India’s most illustrious leaders. Due to his merit and the weight of his IPL victories, Rohit was named captain. Although there is no assurance that Hardik will become a household name or even close to Rohit or Dhoni in terms of success, he is still worth investing in because it seems like a calculated move rather than a wild guess.
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