When the five-time IPL Champions Mumbai Indians, in a shocking turn of events, expelled Rohit Sharma from the role of captaincy and invested Hardik Pandya with the mantle ahead of the 2024 season, a storm of discontent brewed amongst fans. The decision felt like a dethroning of the king; Rohit, they proclaimed, was the undisputed monarch of Mumbai cricket.
However, all of this changed when Rohit led the national team to victory in the T20 World Cup 2024. Mumbai’s spirit reignited, and the city’s love for their own boy reached a whole new level for Rohit. Bollywood’s own Mumbai boy, Riteish Deshmukh, could not resist commenting on the royal rumble.
As he was promoting his latest film, Deshmukh jocularly accepted Hardik’s current captaincy but firmly reiterated Rohit’s enduring status as the city’s cricketing king. It is a tag that Rohit has richly earned, given that he has been the main man behind the Mumbai Indians’ five IPL championships—a record only matched by the Chennai Super Kings.
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His recent retirement from T20 internationals, just after the World Cup win, will have fans waiting with bated breath for his next move in franchise cricket. Riteish Deshmukh took to sharing his views in a freewheeling chat with journalist Shubhankar Mishra on the latter’s YouTube channel. Joining him for the chat was fellow actor Saqeeb Saleem.
Question: Mumbai का राजा कौन ?
Riteish – Captain Hardik है, लेकिन राजा तो Rohit Sharma है। #rohitsharma #HardikPandya pic.twitter.com/YzWtb4UaeN
— Shubhankar Mishra (@shubhankrmishra) July 26, 2024
The unexpected appointment of Suryakumar Yadav as India’s new T20I captain, instead of Hardik Pandya, who had been the vice-captain in the previous two World Cups, was certainly another turn of events in the landscape of cricket. Shubman Gill was appointed vice-captain for the tour to Sri Lanka. Rohit, though, still continues to be the captain of both India’s Test and ODI teams and is very excited to lead the country in the Champions Trophy 2025.
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While reflecting on his new role, Suryakumar Yadav accepted that it comes with great responsibility but also showed his excitement. Speaking to BCCI, he focussed on the valuable lessons he learned from different captains during his career and also stressed how this bond is special between him and former Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir.
