NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians' skipper
Hardik Pandya
has been facing the wrath of fans since replacing
Rohit Sharma
as team's captain but former India head coach
Ravi Shastri
settled the debate once and for all in his inimitable style.
Shastri expressed his view that Mumbai's captaincy dilemma could have been managed more effectively, emphasizing that ultimately, it is the owners' prerogative to decide the team's leadership given their financial investment.
"The captaincy issue between Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya could've been handled better, but it is the owners call who they want as the captain. They spend the money," Shastri said on Star Sports.
Hardik was booed in the team's opening two matches and the crowd hostility was at its peak in MI's first home game of the season on Monday.
Adding to the troubles, under his leadership, Mumbai's campaign in the 2024 IPL began with a disastrous start, leaving them at the bottom of the table after suffering three consecutive losses.
Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu believes that Rohit would not have been replaced by Hardik had the BCCI named him skipper for the T20 World Cup last year itself.
Rohit was declared captain of India's yet-to-be-named T20 World Cup squad in February this year by BCCI secretary Jay Shah at an event in Ahmedabad, a good two months after he was replaced by Pandya as MI skipper.
"If the BCCI had named Rohit as captain for the T20 World Cup in October, the franchise wouldn't have chosen Hardik as captain. It's a matter of the franchise's respect. So, the actual issue here is timing," Sidhu said in 'Star Sports Press Room'.
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