Hardik’s arrival from outside cooked up a storm, Rohit saw his empire crumble: How MI’s ‘wrong move’ destroyed a legacy

However, three seasons later, little has changed. If anything, MI’s credibility has taken a massive hit after enduring two forgettable campaigns in the last three years. Was bringing Hardik Pandya back the right call? Definitely not, according to former India cricketers Murali Kartik and Manoj Tiwary. As MI battle Lucknow Super Giants to avoid finishing with the wooden spoon for the second time in three seasons, the question remains: did Pandya’s arrival from GT do more harm than good? Kartik certainly believes so.

“When you have a captain who has won five titles for you and done so much for the franchise – and he has won the T20 World Cup as well – removing him from captaincy was always going to create issues. And who were the players retained? Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav. Those were your three retentions. Suryakumar Yadav is India’s T20 captain, Jasprit Bumrah is one of India’s leaders, and Rohit Sharma is a giant in himself. Suddenly, you bring in someone from outside. That is bound to disturb the atmosphere,” he said on Cricbuzz after MI’s four-wicket-loss to Kolkata Knight Riders.

Also Read: Hardik Pandya pays the price for crossing the line in MI’s loss to KKR

“Whatever the situation may be, players are naturally shocked. If Rohit himself did not want to continue, then that’s a different matter. But at the very least, a player who has won five trophies and done so much for the franchise deserved the respect of being asked first. At that point, he was India’s captain, had just won a World Cup, and was returning with immense stature. He deserved enough respect for the management to ask whether he wanted to continue or not. Instead, you brought back someone from another franchise.”

Hardik’s captaincy record has worsened steadily. In 38 matches, he has won just 15, resulting in a win percentage of 39.47, the lowest among MI captains with more than 10 matches in charge. With multiple leadership contenders such as Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah waiting in the wings, Kartik believes Hardik’s return may not have gone down well within the dressing room.

Also Read: Hardik Pandya better off without Mumbai Indians; Lucknow, Delhi, Kolkata ready to welcome him with open arms

“It is not Hardik’s fault as a player. He had gone to the Gujarat Titans and done very well there. The issue is about bringing someone from outside and how the rest of the dressing room reacts to it. Suryakumar Yadav must have wondered how he could be India’s captain but not Mumbai Indians’ captain. Jasprit Bumrah would also have felt that if someone else was being brought in, then where did he stand in the leadership hierarchy?” he asked.

“And most importantly, everyone else was retained. Hardik Pandya was not originally retained. So, in many ways, you had already lost the dressing room. That is what I believe because I understand how dressing rooms function in detail. It is never just about the players. Ultimately, everyone plays for pride, but the jigsaw puzzle no longer fits together properly. Somewhere, there is a crack.”

“Rohit Sharma has seen his empire crumble over the last three years. At times, you can see it through his expressions in the dugout. Deep down, he knows that had he been in charge, he may not have taken certain decisions. It reflects on TV as well. You can notice it sometimes. After all, he has won five IPL trophies, captained India, won the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy, and been part of several successful Indian teams. So, what he is saying carries weight. Even I said the same thing back then that the move made was the wrong one. It has now been three years, and during this period, Mumbai Indians have qualified for the playoffs only once,” said Tiwary on Cricbuzz.

“Mumbai Indians are a franchise that step onto the field expecting to challenge for the title. But if you look at the points table this season, they are near the bottom. Even the previous season was disappointing. You do not associate such performances with them. We even saw the disappointment on the owners’ faces when they came onto the ground. Now the team will have to rebuild, and I am 200 per cent sure that next season Mumbai Indians will have a new captain, whether it is Suryakumar Yadav or Jasprit Bumrah. Although considering Bumrah is a fast bowler and injuries can happen at any time, I feel they may eventually go with Suryakumar Yadav. His captaincy record and winning percentage are also very impressive.”

That is, of course, if Rohit himself does not want the role again.

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