“Not everything goes your way,” Rohit Sharma admitted on Thursday, reflecting on a whirlwind few months in which he lost his IPL captaincy to Hardik Pandya before appointing him as his deputy for next month’s T20 World Cup.
Rohit, one of India’s most admired cricketers, was removed as captain of the Mumbai Indians, which was a bitter pill to swallow for his legion of fans, many of whom also booed Hardik during the team’s first few matches this IPL season.
“See, it’s part of life. Not everything will go your way. It has been a fantastic experience,” the Indian captain said during a media interview when asked about his experience playing under Pandya in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
There has been a lot of speculation about Rohit’s relationship with Pandya and how the Mumbai Indians handled the leadership issue, which many believe was not done well, especially since it involved someone who has led the franchise to five IPL titles.
Rohit is a tough cookie, and his pleasant demeanor concealed his true feelings when he said that playing under Pandya is no different than playing under any other captain.
“Before (also), I had not been captain, and I had played under many captains. It is nothing new to me,” said Rohit, who has played for India under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, and Virat Kohli, as well as for franchises led by Adam Gilchrist, Harbhajan Singh, and Ricky Ponting.
The 37-year-old had received criticism for failing to score enough runs with the willow in the previous three seasons, but he looked completely different in the 17th edition of the tournament.
“Whatever is there, you go with it and then try to do what is expected of you as a player. “I’ve only tried to do that in the last month or so,” Rohit said, putting out any fires that the question might have started.
Rohit Sharma, India’s captain, has 314 runs in 10 innings of the IPL 2024.
