'Rohit Sharma should have come out and said something publicly when Hardik Pandya was getting booed'

NEW DELHI: In IPL 2024, the Mumbai Indians' captaincy saga became a major focus of fan attention, surpassing the excitement of the game itself. There was considerable speculation surrounding Rohit Sharma's dynamics with Hardik Pandya and the handling of the leadership transition within the MI franchise.
Several critics have emerged, suggesting that the handling of the process was suboptimal, especially considering Rohit's pivotal role in leading the team to five IPL title victories.


The development was particularly hard to digest for Rohit's vast fanbase, some of whom expressed their disappointment by booing Hardik as he led the team in the initial matches of this IPL season.
Former Australia World Cup-winning captain Aaron Finch has presented a fresh perspective on the issue, suggesting that Rohit should have openly addressed the Pandya situation.
"Just the one thing that I would have loved to have seen from Rohit throughout the IPL campaign is to make some kind of public statement because the resentment towards Hardik from the public has been unbelievable – getting booed. And it's changed to cheers when he walks out since the World Cup squad has been announced," Finch said on Around the Wicket.
"But for eight games, Hardik was getting booed during a Mumbai Indians game. So I would have loved seeing Rohit come out and say something publicly. Say 'No, this is part of the plan for Mumbai Indians, and Hardik's got my full support. Just think that would have put things to be a lot more quickly."
Rohit earlier talked about his experience of playing under Pandya in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
"See, it is part of life. Not everything will go your way. It has been a great experience," he said.
"Before (also), I have not been captain and I have played under a lot of captains. It is no different or new to me," said Rohit, who has played under MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli for India apart from being led by Adam Gilchrist, Harbhajan Singh and Ricky Ponting in franchise cricket.