Mumbai Indians (MI) have endured a rough start to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, losing their first three matches. This underwhelming performance has led to some criticism directed towards their new skipper, Hardik Pandya, both at the Wankhede Stadium and on social media. However, veteran Indian cricketer and two-time World Cup winner (2007 & 2011) Sreesanth came to Pandya’s defence, highlighting that this isn’t the first time MI has begun a season with early defeats.
Sreesanth’s massive claim about Rohit’s performance
Former cricketer Sreesanth believes Rohit Sharma, relieved of his captaincy duties, has a strong chance to win the Orange Cap this IPL season. Sreesanth expects Rohit to score heavily as he can now focus solely on batting.
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“As far as I know Rohit, he would look to bat freely, without any captaincy burden, and may take the Orange Cap too. He is going to have a great season. He has led Mumbai Indians from the front, but I am sure Rohit is going to lead Mumbai Indians from the back,” added Sreesanth.
Sreesanth explains his statement with Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni’s example
Sreesanth pointed out that legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar thrived under MS Dhoni‘s captaincy, leading India to numerous series wins and a World Cup title. He suggests that similar to Tendulkar, Rohit can excel playing under Hardik. However, some believe Rohit might prefer a freer batting role without captaincy duties.
“We have seen the god of cricket, the great Sachin Tendulkar play under Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni). We won the World Cup too. A lot of stories are being told about Rohit Sharma playing under new captain Hardik Pandya but Rohit would love to play freely,” Sreesanth was quoted as saying to The Times of India.