• By Manik Sharma
  • Sun, 14 Jan 2024 08:31 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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It has been over a month since Mumbai Indians (MI) made a bold decision to reshuffle their captaincy, confirming the end of Rohit Sharma's nearly decade-long leadership. The announcement, replacing Sharma with Hardik Pandya, created a storm on social media, with fans expressing their discontent over the unexpected change before the IPL 2024.

The franchise justified the strategic shift by deeming the step necessary to plan for the future, but it drew criticism from ardent supporters who believed it was too early for such a drastic change. Yuvraj Singh, the former Indian cricketer, shared his insights on the matter, acknowledging the importance of long-term planning while highlighting the irreplaceable value of Rohit Sharma's experience.

"In franchise cricket, it always gets tough as you get old. Every franchise is always looking to promote a young player on whom they have spent a lot, and that is only fair. I have faced this situation too. But then, there can’t be a replacement for experience. Rohit has huge experience and has delivered. But a franchise has to think long term," Times of India quoted Yuvraj as saying.

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Yuvraj, however, expressed concerns about Hardik's injury-prone nature, suggesting alternatives like Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill for the captaincy role if fitness concerns persist.

"He is injury prone and we need to give him time to recuperate and settle down. We have to get the best out of him. As for captaincy, we need to have more options. There is Suryakumar Yadav, who has been captaining India in T20Is. There is Shubman Gill, who be captain in IPL." Yuvraj asserted.

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Presently sidelined due to injury, Hardik Pandya is absent from India's T20I series against Afghanistan. However, after his recent Instagram post, the star all-rounder looks to get back in shape and is expected to be fully fit in time for the IPL 2024 campaign with the Mumbai Indians.