Will MI Switch Captaincy? Manoj Tiwary Wades In
Hardik Pandya, now at the helm of Mumbai Indians for the Indian Premier League 2024, has had a rocky start in his captaincy role. The team has suffered defeats in all three of their initial matches, leaving them as the only team in the league without a victory to their name at this point in the season. The pressure has been mounting on Pandya, as evidenced by the less-than-warm reception he received from fans during the toss of Mumbai Indians’ first home game against the Rajasthan Royals.
Manoj Tiwary, speaking to CricbuzzThis 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.
As critics began to circle and suggestions for a captaincy switch back to Rohit Sharma arose, Indian cricketing legend Virender Sehwag has come to Pandya’s defence. Sehwag pointed out that Mumbai Indians are known to sometimes start their seasons on the back foot, even under the leadership of Sharma, who experienced a 0-5 start in one of the past seasons. He hinted that patience is critical, expressing disagreement with the idea of making abrupt leadership changes early in the tournament.
Sehwag’s stance is that three games do not provide a sufficient basis to judge Pandya’s effectiveness as a captain and that such decisions should not be rushed. However, he did suggest a reassessment of captaincy might be appropriate after seven games, depending on the outcomes and the overall direction of the team’s performance.
Manoj Tiwary, speaking to CricbuzzPunjab did that (switched captaincy), 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
The IPL season continues to be an unpredictable one, with Mumbai Indians’ and Delhi Capitals‘ fates still hanging in the balance. Pundits, fans, and former players alike watch closely as teams make strategic adjustments in a bid to turn their fortunes around. For Hardik Pandya and his team, the coming games will be crucial in silencing critics and stabilizing their position in the IPL 2024.
19:30 IST
