The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was marred by a controversy surrounding the captaincy change for Mumbai Indians (MI). The five-time champions made a big call heading into IPL 2024, replacing long-serving skipper Rohit Sharma by Hardik Pandya, with the franchise bringing him back from Gujarat Titans (GT) as part of an all-cash deal. This led to speculation of a rift between Rohit and Hardik.
Amid rumours, Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma made big contributions in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 win. They were even seen hugging each other after the final, putting to rest speculation that all was not well between them. Veteran journalist Vimal Kumar has now given an interesting insight on the equation between Rohit and Hardik during the T20 World Cup.
During a recent interaction, Vimal Kumar revealed that the two didn’t speak to each other on the first day of practice. However, Rohit and Hardik had a heart-to-heart conversation on the second day, he added.
“When I went to the nets, on the first day I saw they were standing far apart and did not talk to each other. But by the second day, I saw them come over, one after the other, and sit together in a corner, talking for a long time. That moment for me defined this team. There was no camera there; nothing. The way Rohit and Hardik were talking, I was like ‘what am I watching?’,” Vimal Kumar said on 2 Sloggers’ YouTube channel.
The journalist also suggested that the chat between Rohit and Hardik, where the two sorted out their differences, played a key role in calming the atmosphere in the dressing room.
“There is so much going on in India with the public talking about their differences. After that, for the next three days, Rohit and Hardik would bat parallelly. And then Rohit would point out about his batting, bowling. When I saw that atmosphere and thought if they addressed such a complex issue, the elephant in the room. That vibe I saw demonstrated how relaxed the team atmosphere was,” he added.
Mr Vimal, however, gave the credit to the then India head coach Rahul Dravid for handling such a volatile situation.
“The full credit goes to Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma for this. The way he handled the big guys – Virat, Hardik, Rohit – I think Rahul Dravid has a lot to do with it. Everyone gelled together. That was the leadership I had confidence in,” Vimal further suggested.
For the unversed, India won the T20 World Cup after beating South Africa in the final, which was Dravid’s last game as head coach of the Indian team.
After the final, the likes of Rohit, Virat and Ravindra Jadeja also announced their T20 retirements.
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