NEW DELHI: In a recent statement made in the 'Star Sports Press Room', former India cricketer
Navjot Singh Sidhu
shared his insights on the ongoing captaincy controversy surrounding the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the strategic challenges faced by teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sidhu expressed his belief that if the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced
Rohit Sharma
as the captain of India's
T20 World Cup
squad earlier, Rohit might not have been replaced by
Hardik Pandya
as MI's captain.
He said, "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."
Reflecting on the IPL matches, Sidhu acknowledged the hostility faced by Pandya from fans and attributed it to Rohit's immense popularity among cricket enthusiasts.
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He stated, "Nobody can digest the fact that India's hero, India's captain, is not the captain of our franchise. 'What wrong has he done?' is what fans of the franchise would be thinking. But what does he have to do? There is nothing that succeeds like success. If he had won these two matches, there wouldn't have been any noise."
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Furthermore, Sidhu emphasized the significance of IPL performances in shaping the T20 World Cup squads of all participating teams. He added, "The entire world revolves around the IPL. Playing in the IPL just before the World Cup is like participating in a mini World Cup. Stellar performance here can make you an overnight sensation. Therefore, anyone who excels in the IPL becomes a strong contender."
(Inputs from PTI)
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