'He will always have a hand on my shoulder' - Hardik Pandya on relationship with Rohit Sharma

Five-time IPL champions, Mumbai Indians (MI) have been through a really tumultuous period ahead of their next season as they replaced their captain Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya. Notably, MI brought Pandya into their squad through a player trade with Gujarat Titans and also handed him the captaincy responsibilities.

Recently, Pandya addressed the media’s questions in the pre-season press conference where he was asked whether him being appointed as the captain would bring any change in his relationship with MS Dhoni. Answering the query, the MI captain had a heartwarming reply saying that he (Rohit) will be there to help him and he will look to carry his legacy forward.

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“First of all, it won’t be any different because he’s always going to be there to help me out, if I need his help. At the same point of time, you mentioned that he’s the captain of the Indian team as well which helps me because this team, whatever it has achieved, it has achieved under his belt,” said Pandya in the MI pre-match press conference.

Further addressing the issue, Pandya also said that it won’t be any awkward and Rohit will have his hand on his shoulder throughout the season.

“From now onwards, it’s just going to be thing which he has already achieved, I just carry forward that. So, I don’t think it will be any awkward or anything different. It will be a nice feeling because we’ve been playing for ten years. I’ve played whole my career under him and I know he is going to have a hand on my shoulder always throughout the season,” he added.

Pandya played for MI from 2015-2021

Notably, Pandya made his debut in IPL 2015 playing for MI. The all-rounder was a part of his team’s four IPL triumphs but was released from the side ahead of the 2022 mega auction. The 30-year-old was signed by Gujarat Titans for the 2022 season where he led them to a historic triumph in their debut season. He further led them to their second consecutive final in 2023 where they lost a thriller against Chennai Super Kings.

Also Read: This IPL, I will play as an all-rounder and finish as many games as possible: Hardik Pandya

On the other hand, Rohit has completely transformed MI’s fortunes having led them to five IPL titles ever since being appointed as the skipper in 2013. In the upcoming season, the opener will be seen playing as a pure batter after a long time and hence will be under tremendous scrutiny for his batting performances which haven’t been the best in the last few seasons.