For the first time in more than a decade, someone not answering to the name of Rohit Sharma has been tasked with the responsibility of spearheading Mumbai Indians’ campaign in Season 17 of the Indian Premier League (IPL). On Hardik Pandya’s sturdy shoulders has been thrust the onerous task of emulating the IPL’s joint most successful captain, but it’s a task Pandya has asked for and been given, so he won’t be unaware of the weight of expectations that will dog him every step of the way.
The leadership change hasn’t gone down too well with fans of both Rohit and Mumbai Indians. Rohit himself has been studiedly silent on the developments of December last, when Pandya moved back to his original franchise after two years with Gujarat Titans. Pandya’s leadership aspirations received a massive fillip when he led the Titans to the title on their debut in 2022 and steered them to the final the following season, when it required a last-ball four from Ravindra Jadeja to, eventually, quell their unflagging challenge.
So far so good. But ahead of next year’s big auction, with an eye on the future, MI were eager to reacquire Pandya’s services. The all-rounder was all too willing to make the shift back from Ahmedabad to the nation’s financial capital, but with a rider – he wanted the captaincy as well.
The MI management group must have been in a fix. As much as they wanted Pandya, they realised that Rohit’s contribution in the franchise’s evolution as a formidable force was immense. Thrust into the hot seat midway through a fumbling campaign in 2013 during which Ricky Ponting stepped down as captain, Rohit rose to the challenge admirably. He orchestrated a sensational resurgence that culminated in MI’s first title. Over the next seven years, he piloted the team to four more crowns; he and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are the tournament’s most successful leaders, both having overseen five successful campaigns each.
So, Pandya or Rohit? The 30-year-old, or the soon-to-be 37-year-old? Youthful enthusiasm or seasoned tactician? In the end, MI went for the more tempting option – tempting because not only can they build a team but also a brand around Pandya, which they might have felt was not a longer-term option with Rohit anymore.
It’s possible that had Pandya not done his ankle in during the World Cup encounter against Bangladesh in Pune in the second half of October, he might well have led India’s charge for this summer’s T20 World Cup in North America. After all, at that point, Rohit hadn’t played a Twenty20 International for 11 months and Pandya had slipped into the role of captain admirably, impressing with his strategising, his man-management skills, the freedom he bestowed on his players and the selflessness with which he went about his business. If all this sounds familiar, it’s because Pandya drew from his experience of having played under Rohit for franchise and country, taking the best of the older man and embellishing them with his own unique style of leadership.
Pandya’s long hiatus from competitive cricket and the continued uncertainty over when and how he would make a complete recovery forced the hands of the Indian selectors, who brought Rohit – along with Virat Kohli – back for the three-match T20I home series against Afghanistan in January. That was the first indication that the Mumbaikar would be at the helm at the World Cup; irrefutable confirmation came in Rajkot in mid-February through BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s unambiguous proclamation that Rohit would indeed lead the Indian campaign in the United States and the West Indies. That threw up an intriguing conundrum – of the Indian captain playing under a fellow Indian in the IPL, unprecedented in the tournament’s history.
How will the changed dynamics impact MI’s fortunes? That’s an answer that only time will provide. Fresh blood and new ideas are always welcome; after all, Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, said more than 2,500 years back, ‘There is nothing permanent except change.’ MI’s decision to make a strategic change to their leadership structure may not have been driven by cricketing factors alone, but in Pandya’s appointment, they have definitely not sold cricket short.
The new captain’s first challenge was to get his predecessor on his side. Rohit is unlikely to be amused at the turn of events that have left him without a kingdom he ruled with such dexterity for so long. But he is too professional to allow that to cloud his thinking or come in the way of his commitment to the cause. Equanimity has been one of his strong suits and it’s difficult to see him veer from that, no matter how strongly he might feel that he has been hard done by.
Pandya will be aware that his every move will be scrutinised minutely and unforgivingly; that’s what happens when one replaces a popular and successful leader. That’s also why they say be careful what you wish for… He has stated confidently in public that Rohit will have ‘his hand on my shoulders throughout the season’. He has also made all the right noises, such as carrying forward what Rohit has achieved. The trick will be to find ways to wriggle out of tight situations that will inevitably arise during the course of the long tournament, especially when under the harsh glare of the spotlight. Pandya managed that with reasonable chutzpah at the Titans, but this will be a lot different. And demanding.
Perhaps, the fact that his name won’t be suffixed by (capt) any longer will bring the best out of Rohit, the batsman. His returns over the last few seasons haven’t been flash – in 2022, for instance, he averaged just 19.14 in 14 matches at a strike-rate of 120.18, which increased marginally to 20.75 and 132.80 respectively in 16 games in 2023. Rohit’s only IPL ton came a dozen years back, which is surprising considering that he has five three-figure knocks in T20Is. Allowed now to concentrate on his own devices, the classy right-hander is primed to deliver with bruising consistency, which will be a win-win for both franchise and nation.
Just as Pandya will be one of the bulwarks of India’s World Cup challenge under Rohit, the latter is integral to the Baroda man’s designs of making it Super Six for MI. Now to see who writes whose script, and how.
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