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Is Hardik Pandya The Correct Captain To Lead Mumbai Indians?

Mumbai Indians star, Hardik Pandya, has received a lot of hate online for simply being appointed as Mumbai Indians captain. When Mumbai Indians re-signed him, everyone expected him to take over captaincy from Rohit Sharma sooner or later, but barely anyone expected it to happen almost immediately. This is the main reason for all the online and offline hate Hardik Pandya has been receiving of late. As Rohit Sharma was replaced so suddenly, fans were left confused as to whether Mumbai Indians had simply taken a step towards the future or had removed Sharma from captaincy to bring Pandya to the franchise.

Did Mumbai Indians Get Their Timing Wrong With Hardik Pandya?

Hardik Pandya was one of the most adored Mumbai Indians players. Pandya made his debut for Mumbai Indians all the way back in 2015. He quickly established himself as an impressive all-rounder and won over Mumbai Indians fans by helping them win many matches through the years.

He proved himself in the domestic league as well as on the international stage, becoming a revered finisher for India. He played for Mumbai till 2021 before joining Gujarat Titans in 2022 during the Mega Auction. Pandya was picked by Gujarat Titans and was appointed as the captain of the new franchise. He won as captain in his very first IPL season with Gujarat Titans, showing his prowess as both a player and a captain.

Before the 2024 season, Mumbai Indians decided to try and get Hardik Pandya back to their franchise. They successfully managed to pry him away from Gujarat Titans, and Mumbai Indians fans were delighted that Hardik Pandya was coming back home. However, it all changed when MI announced that Pandya would not only be joining back as a player but would be captaining the team from the 2024 season itself. The move to appoint Pandya as captain over Rohit Sharma immediately raised a lot of controversy, and questions started being asked about whether Rohit Sharma was being pushed out of the squad.

Only time will tell if the decision to appoint Hardik Pandya as Mumbai Indians’ captain will pay off for the franchise or not, but one thing is certain: Mumbai Indians certainly got their timing wrong. With fans expecting a gradual transition of captaincy from Rohit Sharma to Hardik Pandya, Mumbai could have avoided all unnecessary controversies if they had simply decided to wait a year before handing the reigns to Pandya. The Indian all-rounder’s job has become even harder, with fans turning against him and booing him at home games instead of supporting him.

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ALSO READ: Top 5 MI Vs CSK Showdowns In IPL History

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Is Hardik Pandya Good Enough To Captain Mumbai Indians?

Credit: Mint

Mumbai Indians is the most successful franchise in IPL history. Rohit Sharma has been the captain since 2013 and has led them to five IPL titles. It would be tough for anyone to follow in his footsteps, but the job has become much harder for Hardik Pandya, who is getting more hate than support from Mumbai’s fans. Pandya has proved that he can get the job done, winning the IPL title with Gujarat Titans in his first season as their captain, but some of his calls while captaining Mumbai Indians this season have been questionable.

Mumbai Indians are currently eighth in the table, with just two wins in six games. Questions are being asked about Hardik Pandya’s role as both a captain and a player, with some fans asking Rohit Sharma to be reappointed as the captain. One of the videos that caused the most controversy was when Hardik Pandya was seen sending Rohit Sharma to the boundary and moving him around in the outfield. This seemed to enrage both Rohit Sharma and Mumbai Indians fans.

One of the most controversial calls by Hardik Pandya came against Chennai Super Kings. Mumbai Indians had won the toss and decided to bowl first. Akash Madwal has been Mumbai’s trusted death bowler for most games this season, but Pandya decided to take matters into his own hands. While Madwal had one over remaining, Pandya bowled the last over himself and conceded 26 runs in the 20th over. Ironically, Mumbai ended up losing by 20 runs, meaning a good last over may have helped them beat CSK.

Hardik Pandya disappointed not only with the ball but also with the bat against Chennai Super Kings. He made just two runs in six balls while his team was trying to chase down a target of 207. After the game, Hardik Pandya seemed to display a devil-may-care attitude as he was seen smiling during the press conference despite the loss. He just smiled and said CSK bowled well and that there was a man behind the stumps (MS Dhoni) telling them what to do, which helped CSK beat MI.

Hardik Pandya said "CSK bowled really well, there is a man behind the stumps telling what to do". pic.twitter.com/MYaryG7O51

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) April 14, 2024

While Hardik Pandya has been getting a lot of hate recently, much of which is unnecessary, he has had a lot of opportunities to win over Mumbai’s fans already. He had chances to impress against Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, and Chennai Super Kings, but Pandya failed to make any real impact in either of these games. Had he somehow managed to get Mumbai Indians over the line and win them these matches, he would have surely gained the support of many Mumbai fans, if not all.

 

Despite Mumbai Indians’ poor start to IPL 2024 and Hardik Pandya seemingly struggling under his new role as Mumbai Indians captain, the player has proved his worth as both player and captain in the past. This appointment is not a short-term solution for a season, but a step made by the franchise thinking about the future. A player of Hardik Pandya’s calibre is sure to regain his form and come back even stronger. While Mumbai Indians fans are infuriated with him as of now, we are sure that he will be able to win them over sooner or later.

For more news and updates on Hardik Pandya, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram.

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