'Purely A Cricketing Decision' : Boucher Explains MI's Rohit-Hardik Captaincy Swap
Hardik has been named MI's new captain [X.com]
Mumbai Indians (MI) got heavily criticised by the franchise's passionate fanbase for sacking their five-time winning skipper Rohit Sharma and handing over the reigns to comeback allrounder Hardik Pandya ahead of IPL 2024. But coach Mark Boucher explained it was "purely a cricketing decision" made for the future welfare of the franchise.
Boucher said MI addressed two issues with one aim by undergoing the Rohit-Pandya swap, insisting not only it allows the allrounder to take the franchise forward with fresh captaincy ideas but also helps free-up the burden on Rohit's shoulders, one which has reflected in his slump with the bat.
"I think it was purely a cricketing decision. We saw the window period to get Hardik back as a player. For me it's a transition phase. A lot of people don't understand in India, people get quite emotional, but you know you take the emotions away from it," Boucher said on 'Smash Sports Podcast'.
"I think it's just more of a cricketing decision that was made and I do think it is going to bring the best out of Rohit as a person as a player. Just let him go out and enjoy and score some good runs," he added.
Boucher Explains Rohit-Pandya MI Swap
Within half an hour of announcing their captaincy switch, MI lost heaps of social media followers from their fans who felt aggrieved with Rohit's departure from the helm.
However, Boucher believes it's the best thing which could've happened to the ageing star opener, who has undergone two consecutive lacklustre seasons with the bat - 268 runs at a strike rate of 120.18 in 2022 and 332 runs at 132.80 SR in IPL 2023.
"One thing I did pick up with Ro (Rohit) is that he is a fantastic guy. I mean he's been captaining for ages and he's done really well for Mumbai Indians. Now he also leads India as well. It is that he walks into a place and there's just cameras in it and he's so busy and he hasn't had probably the best couple of seasons of late with the bat but he's done well as a captain."
"And I just thought you know when we're speaking with the whole Mumbai Indians group, we thought that maybe this is the opportunity for him to step as a player. We believe he got some great value to add and just go out there and actually enjoy it without the hype of being a captain," Boucher added.
Rohit playing under Pandya, who returns to MI after a two-year successful captaincy stint with Gujarat Titans (GT), is going to be one of the most exciting and keenly observed aspects of the franchise's campaign during IPL 2024.
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