I don’t think Hardik Pandya, as a captain, is a finished product yet: Aakash Chopra

Hosting JioCinema’s daily sports show ‘#AAKASHVANI’, Aakash Chopra spoke about Hardik Pandya’s appointment as Mumbai Indians captain and Rohit Sharma’s contribution as the leader of the side. IPL 2024 auction is all set to take place in Dubai on December 19.

JioCinema will also livestream a mock auction with the likes of Suresh Raina, Anil Kumble, Mike Hesson, Eoin Morgan, Robin Uthappa, and others on December 18 at 12 noon to give viewers a flavor of what to expect from auction day and analyze potential strategies. 

On Hardik Pandya’s appointment as Mumbai Indians captain 

Aakash Chopra: It’s my understanding and not some inside news. When Hardik (Pandya) decided to move from Gujarat, captaincy may have been a part of the deal. This decision would have been definitely communicated to Rohit Sharma as well. Rohit would have also been briefed about Mumbai Indians’ future plans. I feel Ashish Nehra had a tremendous role in making Hardik the captain he was at Gujarat Titans. So, Mumbai’s job is cut out. They have to provide inputs at a different level for Hardik to replicate them on the field because I don’t think Hardik, as a captain, is a finished product yet.  

On Rohit Sharma’s captaincy at MI 

Aakash Chopra: Rohit is a legend. It’s the end of an era. He led the team for 10 years and won five IPL titles. He worked a lot for this and also earned a lot of fame. But there comes a time when you start thinking about the future. To be fair, the last two years have been average for MI, considering the high standards they have set for themselves. While it’s extremely important to give someone a chance at the right time, it’s even more critical to decide when to let go of someone. There has been talk on social media that Rohit should have been allowed to leave on his own terms or may be allowed to lead MI in one match before Hardik was asked to take over. I personally don’t subscribe to it. There is no one bigger than a team.