Ritika Sajdeh, the spouse of Rohit Sharma, has shared her dissatisfaction regarding Mumbai Indians’ choice to appoint Hardik Pandya as captain for the IPL 2024 season. While Rohit has maintained composure amid the controversy, Ritika voiced her disappointment on social media regarding comments made by the team’s head coach, Mark Boucher.
Boucher defended the decision, labeling it a ‘cricketing decision’ and cautioned against emotional reactions.
He cited Rohit’s recent struggles with batting form as a contributing factor to the leadership change, suggesting it as part of Mumbai Indians’ transitional phase.
Ritika Sajdeh single handedly fighting with all the dogs of Mumbai Indians.
Rohit Sharma won in life ! โค๏ธ pic.twitter.com/u2QCOUreQp
— ๐๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐๐ง ๐ (@ImHydro45) February 6, 2024
An interview by Boucher, where he elaborated on the rationale behind the leadership switch, was shared on the official Instagram account of Smash Sports.
Rohit Sharma has faced challenges in maintaining consistent batting performances in recent IPL seasons.
His statistics declined notably, with only 332 runs in 16 matches in 2023 and a mere 268 runs in 14 matches with an average of under 20 in 2022.
So basically Mumbai Indians Head Coach Mark Boucher seen telling in the video why the Captaincy transitioned happened from Rohit Sharma to Hardik Pandya. While in the comments Rohit's wife Ritika Sajdeh wrote "So many things wrote with this" shows not everything is right b/w them pic.twitter.com/IpbYqnxsp0
— ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฎ (@hardy0_9) February 6, 2024
Since taking over the captaincy from Ricky Ponting in 2013, Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. He not only excelled as a leader but also emerged as one of the top run-scorers in IPL history.
Rohit Sharma wife Ritika Sajdeh's view on Mark Boucher's interview talking about Hardik Pandya taking over MI captaincy.#RohitSharma #IPL pic.twitter.com/BcCQMfYcKC
— ROHIT SHARMA (@Bishnoi__45) February 6, 2024
On the contrary, Hardik Pandya made his debut for Mumbai Indians in 2015 and played six consecutive seasons until 2021. In 2022, he joined the Gujarat Titans, leading them to victory in their debut season. Boucher emphasized Hardik’s potential to elevate Mumbai Indians’ performance, showcasing the team’s confidence in his leadership abilities.
Ahead of the 2024 IPL season, Mumbai Indians secured Hardik in an all-cash deal with the Titans. Boucher expressed confidence in Pandya’s capacity to lead Mumbai Indians to success, signaling a new phase in the team’s leadership dynamics.
The decision to replace Rohit Sharma as captain has ignited intense discussions within the cricketing community, highlighting the significance of leadership changes in professional sports and the emotional involvement of players and their families in team decisions.