 |
| File Photo |
Ambati Rayudu, the former Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter, has expressed his desire to see Rohit Sharma, the recently ousted MI captain, make a switch to the CSK squad. The Mumbai Indians had announced in December 2023 that Hardik Pandya would be taking over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma, leading to a wave of public backlash and speculation.
The decision to remove Rohit Sharma as captain after a decade-long tenure was met with criticism from fans, who wished to see him continue leading the team. The controversy deepened when Rohit's wife, Ritika Sajdeh, commented on Mark Boucher's statement suggesting that the change was made because captaincy was affecting Rohit's batting. The reasons behind the decision and Rohit's perspective on the matter have yet to be publicly addressed.
Ambati Rayudu, weighing in on the situation, suggested that MI might have rushed into the decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain. Rayudu, a former MI and CSK player, acknowledged Hardik's credentials as captain but disagreed with the timing of the leadership transition. He stated in an interview with News24, "This year, Rohit should have continued captaining, and Hardik, maybe after a year, could have been given that responsibility."
Rayudu further expressed his opinion that captaining MI is a challenging task due to the presence of numerous star players in the team, creating immense pressure that not everyone can handle. While Rayudu's remarks hinted at a potential disagreement with MI's decision-making process, he took it a step further by suggesting that he would like to see Rohit Sharma don the Chennai Super Kings jersey.
According to Rayudu, Rohit Sharma still has 5-6 years of cricket left in him, and having already achieved success with MI, the prospect of Rohit unfolding a new chapter with the 'Yellove Army' is intriguing. When asked whether Rohit should lead CSK if MS Dhoni retires after the current season, Rayudu emphasized that the decision should be entirely up to Rohit. He expressed, "Rohit can play for another 5-6 years. I want to see Rohit in CSK going forward. If he has to captain, he can do it anywhere in the world. But it's up to him."
As the countdown to IPL 2024 begins, the anticipation around Rohit Sharma's future in the T20 league has intensified, with fans eagerly waiting to see whether the Mumbai Indians' iconic captain will don the Chennai Super Kings colors and embrace a new chapter in his illustrious career.
