Rohit Sharma with MI (X.com)
Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians possess the joint record of winning the most number of league titles alongside Chennai Super Kings. While the franchise tasted victory purely on the basis of unparalleled talent and extraordinary skillset, critics added a touch of privilege to these hard-earned victories.
Mumbai Indians, owned by renowned industrialist Mukesh Ambani, historically have never shied away from going after superstars of the game during the auction process. However, critics have often called MI out for having an undue advantage over its peers owing to its star-studded lineup.
Most recently, former MI all-rounder Hardik Pandya also backed the same narrative, which triggered skipper Rohit Sharma’s as he chose to hit back in a more indirect way.
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Rohit Sharma Takes Indirect Dig At Hardik Pandya
The throwback video, divided into two parts, showed how Pandya, Gujarat Titans captain, mentioned that MI has been achieving tremendous success owing to its star-studded lineup.
However, to him, that’s not the only route to success. Pandya then goes on to say that GT won the title in its inaugural year without any superstars at their helm and purely on the basis of a positive team environment.
In the latter part of the video, Rohit Sharma countered the all-rounder’s claim. Without taking any names, the veteran batter said that MI’s scouting team works tirelessly throughout the year to pick the best talents across the country.
While critics opine that MI always plays with the privilege of a star-studded lineup, no one sees the work that’s been put behind the scenes to shape those players from scratch.
Rohit Sharma also cited the example of Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, who built up from zero when they first joined MI. The ex-skipper further added that next-gen rookies Nehal Wadhera and Tilak Varma will meet the same fate as MI management has been looking after them the same way it did with Pandya or Bumrah.
 "Akshita Patel")
