NEW DELHI: Amid mounting criticism from all quarters, newly-appointed Mumbai Indians skipper
Hardik Pandya
found a firm supporter in the form of former Indian opener
Virender Sehwag
, who categorically stated that this is not the first time the Mumbai franchise is facing this kind of situation at the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL), as they earlier bounced back from the 0-5 stage to win the title under
Rohit Sharma
's leadership.
The decision to replace Rohit Sharma as captain with Hardik Pandya has sparked controversy among fans, resulting in criticism of Pandya on various social media platforms. This backlash from fans has also extended to the venues, with spectators expressing their disapproval during matches.
The transition of leadership within the team has undoubtedly sparked debate and divided opinions among cricket enthusiasts. As a result, Pandya has found himself under increased scrutiny and pressure to perform both on and off the field.
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The Mumbai team's first home game against the Rajasthan Royals saw Hardik face disapproval from MI fans during the toss. This incident occurred amidst the team's disappointing performance, as they suffered their third consecutive defeat of the season. With the Mumbai Indians being the only team yet to secure a win in the league, the pressure is mounting on Hardik to deliver as the team's skipper.
After the Mumbai Indians' loss against the Rajasthan Royals, former India batter Manoj Tiwary suggested that the franchise might consider reinstating Rohit Sharma as the captain.
However, Sehwag, who was also part of the expert panel, disagreed with the notion of changing the captaincy and offered a different perspective on the matter.
Sehwag, who has thrown his support behind Hardik, emphasised that MI have a history of slow starts in the IPL. Sehwag pointed out that the team had faced a worse beginning to their campaign a few years ago when the Rohit-led side encountered five opening defeats.
“This team had lost five successive matches under Rohit Sharma's captaincy too; they were 0-5. Then they were champions (lost in the playoffs). So, they will be patient with Hardik, too. These are stats. They have been 0-3 down, too. But if this extends beyond that too, it might test the team management's patience,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
“2-3 franchises have done that. Punjab did that, Chennai did that when they gave the captaincy to Jadeja, and then Dhoni took over the captaincy again. But it happened midway through the season. I don't think MI will think about the captaincy switch right now. You can't change a captain after three games; that doesn't send the right message to the team, too. But after seven games, when the season is right in the middle, they can take a call based on how the performance has been,” Sehwag added.
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