‘Players representing the national team in T20Is should get the preference’ - Rohit Sharma on being MI’s fourth retention

Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians removed Rohit Sharma from captaincy ahead of IPL 2024. They traded in Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans and handed him the baton but the team failed to make a mark, following multiple controversies as they ended up finishing at the bottom of the points table. Following which, there were rumours of Rohit wanting to leave the franchise but the 37-year-old put all those to bed and signed a new INR 16.30 crore deal with MI. 

However, Rohit was the fourth-choice retention of Mumbai. Ace pacer Jasrpit Bumrah was given priority as he was retained for INR 18 crore while Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav were retained for INR 16.35 crore each. Speaking on the same, Rohit mentioned that he doesn’t represent India anymore in the shortest format and for the same reason, he is quite happy with being MI’s number-four retention.

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“Since I have retired from the format, I think this is the perfect spot for me. The players who are representing the national team at the highest level should get the preference. That’s what I believe in and I am quite happy with it,” Rohit said.

We haven’t had the best of the season in the last two or three years: Rohit Sharma

The India captain also stated that he was happy to continue his journey with MI. The star batter joined the franchise in 2011 and has been an integral part of the team since. However, after the captaincy controversy last year, rumours sparked and addressing those, the cricketer stated that he has played plenty of cricket in Mumbai and it is where he started his journey and for the same reason, he is happy to continue. Rohit also wants the team to get back into a winning mentality and challenge for the title after a few rough years.

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“I have played so much cricket in Mumbai, this is the place where I started my cricket career. So this city is very, very special. Obviously, when you play for such a long time, you create so many memories with the team. We haven’t had the best of the season in the last two or three years. But we are quite determined to change that,” Rohit said.