While Mumbai Indians have fired Rohit Sharma as captain, Ambati Rayudu feels his former India and IPL teammate can lead any team in the Indian Premier League. Mumbai Indians shocked the cricketing fraternity by replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain for IPL 2024.
Hardik Pandya won the IPL title in his debut season with the Gujarat Titans before leading them to a runners-up finish in IPL 2023. The India allrounder was later traded to Mumbai Indians, who named him the captain of the team after Rohit Sharma led them to 5 IPL titles. The franchise’s decision came after Rohit Sharma failed to impress as a captain and a batsman in IPL 2023.
Ambati Rayudu lifts the lid on Rohit Sharma’s future
Mumbai Indians, who became the first team to win the IPL five times in 2020, were eliminated from the semifinals in 2021 and 2022. In IPL 2023, they advanced beyond the league stage but were unable to qualify for the knockout stages.
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Furthermore, Rohit Sharma’s recent batting performances in the IPL have been unimpressive. The Indian captain could score only 600 runs throughout IPL 2023 and IPL 2024 at a strike rate of 126.84 and an average of 20.00.
Ambati Rayudu disagrees with the Mumbai Indians’ assessment that Rohit Sharma is no longer the preferred captain to guide the team forward. Ambati Rayudu feels that Rohit is capable of leading any team and can continue to play in the IPL for the next five to six years.
“Rohit Sharma can play IPL for the next 5-6 years. if he wants to captain, the whole world is open for him. He can easily captain wherever he wants,” Rayudu stated.
“I want Rohit Sharma to play for CSK in 2025, if MS (Dhoni) retires then Rohit can lead as well,” Ambatu Rayudu further stated.
Rohit among all-time greats
With 6211 runs from 243 games, Rohit Sharma is the fourth-highest IPL run scorer of all time. This season, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans are set to play their first game on March 24 in Ahmedabad.
On March 22, the 17th Indian Premier League, IPL 2024, will get underway in Chennai with a game between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Ambati Rayudu, who has played for both the Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, shared his thoughts on the forthcoming season before the competition.
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In an interview with News24, Rayudu, who was a member of CSK’s title-winning team under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, talked about Hardik Pandya replacing Rohit Sharma as the Mumbai Indians captain.
Indian captain down with stiff back recently
When the IPL begins later this month, Rohit will likely be on the field, having just led India to a thrilling 4-1 series victory over England in the Test series. However, on the last day of the final Test of the series, Rohit did not take to the field as he complained of back stiffness. Although the Indian captain was seen in a jolly mood after India won the series, Rohit’s injuries in the recent past have been long-sustaining.
