'Hardik Pandya good but nowhere close to Rohit Sharma': Netizens react to Mumbai Indians' bombshell announcement

Mumbai Indians dropped a bombshell on Friday by naming Hardik Pandya captain for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). The massive announcement from the MI camp comes a little over two weeks since their blockbuster move to bring Pandya back into their fold from the Gujarat Titans, where he spent two seasons as captain and led them to the title on debut in 2022.

The decision to bring Pandya, who spent seven seasons with MI between 2015 and 2021, back into the side was seen by many as a long-term move by the management, primarily as a successor to skipper Rohit Sharma. Few, however, would have expected the franchise to make a decision this big so early, and would have expected the ‘Hitman’ to lead for another season or two.

The decision marks the end of an era, with Rohit stepping down as MI captain after a decade in which he had led the franchise to five IPL titles along with a Champions League T20 crown. What made Rohit’s leadership with MI standout was he enjoyed a 100 per cent record when it came to IPL finals.

MI’s landmark decision was naturally met with mixed reactions on microblogging website X (formerly known as Twitter). Here are select reactions to the announcement:

That Hardik Pandya would be captain of @mipaltan was an open secret. Rohit Sharma can lay claim to being, with MS Dhoni, the finest leader in the #IPL. It may not be a bad idea to let him relax and have fun because the IPL can take a lot out of you and he will have led India in 5…

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 15, 2023

I’m totally Disappointed with this decision @mipaltan

What are your views on Hardik Pandya taking captaincy of Mumbai Indians? pic.twitter.com/3ksakMBeXr

— MI Fans Army™ (@MIFansArmy) December 15, 2023

The man who created his own legacy and took Mumbai Indians to another level.

– Captain Ro, legend…!!! pic.twitter.com/Cd7TV4evmH

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 15, 2023

Due to Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai Indians was my default team to support in IPL, after he retired, I got in love with Rohit Sharma and started watching MI matches because of him.

But Mumbai Indians going to Hardik Pandya over Rohit Sharma. I hereby resigned from being a MI… pic.twitter.com/fULJpG4I2o

— EngiNerd. (@mainbhiengineer) December 15, 2023

Rohit sharma is anytime better choice for #MumbaiIndians captain !

Removing him unceremoniously (if its true) is not a healthy practice. #RohitSharma#HardikPandya pic.twitter.com/kZnS6KtRWH

— Sushil Gaikwad (@onlysushil) December 15, 2023

5 IPL trophies #MumbaiIndians will never find a captain like Rohit Sharma ever again. It’s a horrible decision and a big loss for the franchise. #HardikPandya is good but nowhere close to @ImRo45 when it comes to leadership. pic.twitter.com/xGDtm9l737

— Madhav Sharma (@HashTagCricket) December 15, 2023

Worst decision ❌❌
The Greatest Captain Ever ! @ImRo45 ❤️#MumbaiIndians #RohitSharma #HardikPandya #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/Y77ouglxeN

— ZAKIR HUSSAIN (@itszakirhussain) December 15, 2023

He came when Mumbai Indians had 0 IPL titles and he is stepping down as the greatest captain in the history of IPL with 5 IPL titles with MI. Dear Captain, thanku for everything ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pcvOOpGLIv

— Un-Lucky  (@Luckyytweets) December 15, 2023