NEW DELHI: Former Indian wicket-keeper
Parthiv Patel
on Thursday expressed his belief that
Hardik Pandya
would face immense pressure while leading the Mumbai Indians in the upcoming IPL.
However, Patel acknowledged the decision to appoint Pandya as the captain, succeeding
Rohit Sharma
's legendary reign, as a well-thought-out choice made by the franchise.
"Of course, his (Pandya's) captaincy is a talking point.
The way he led the side (Gujarat Titans), winning the championship in the first year, a last-ball finish in the final next year, it was a great run at Gujarat Titans," Parthiv told Jio Cinema.
"Hardik has moved on, and is now back in Mumbai, where his cricket started. There will be a lot of expectations from MI because the trophy is long due.
"For MI, qualifying is not a success; it's about winning championships. That's something they must have thought, and it seems like a well-thought decision to get him on board, looking at the future."
The decision to remove Rohit from the captaincy might not have been universally welcomed, but it was taken with the consideration of Mumbai Indians' transitional phase.
Parthiv added, "There will be a lot of pressure on Hardik. It will be challenging; replacing a five-time title-winning captain and a team that is used to playing a certain way for 10 years.
"And, this change of guard will be challenging for Hardik and for the players who are so used to playing under Rohit Sharma."
Rohit, who successfully led India to the ODI World Cup final last year, had been at the helm of Mumbai Indians since 2013, guiding the franchise to their first of five IPL trophies.
Hardik, on the other hand, made his IPL debut with Mumbai Indians in 2015 and clinched four titles with the team. In 2022, Pandya moved to the Gujarat Titans, and in their inaugural season, he played a crucial role in securing the championship for the franchise.
Speaking on the same subject, former India player Wasim Jaffer will be looking to make a mark straightaway.
"For Mumbai, Hardik is coming back and leading, so it will be mixed emotions for Mumbai Indians fans. We can expect that it will be a full house that day with almost 120,000 people. That's a fixture to look forward to," he told Star Sports.
"I think Hardik Pandya will look to get this out straightaway, and if he gets one win, he will set an example of how he's leading by example. He will be looking to stamp his authority in the game."
MI play their opener against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on March 24.
(With PTI inputs)
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