MI head coach Mark Boucher remarks on Rohit Sharma's captaincy, wife Ritika reacts

In a surprising twist of events, Mumbai Indians orchestrated one of the most astonishing trades in IPL history, by bringing back Hardik Pandya, former MI player and Gujarat Titans' title-winning captain, into their ranks. This move comes two years after the franchise opted not to retain him. Additionally, they've stripped Rohit Sharma, the man behind their five IPL titles, off his captaincy. Despite facing backlash from fans on social media, head coach Mark Boucher defended the decision, labelling it as a 'cricketing decision.'

Boucher highlighted the team's desire to relieve Rohit Sharma of the captaincy burden amidst his recent underwhelming batting performances. Rohit's numbers in the last two seasons were below his usual standards, scoring 268 runs at a strike rate of 120.18 in 2022 as Mumbai Indians finished at the bottom of the table. In 2023, he improved with 332 runs at 132.80, but his team only managed to reach the second qualifier stage. The move according to Boucher, will aim to alleviate pressure and allow Rohit to focus on his batting prowess while potentially revitalizing the team's dynamic under Pandya's leadership.

"I think it was purely a cricketing decision. We saw the window period to get Hardik back as a player. For me, it's a transition phase. A lot of people don't understand in India, people get quite emotional, but you know you take the emotions away from it. I think it's just more of a cricketing decision that was made and I do think it is going to bring the best out of Rohit as a person as a player. Just let him go out and enjoy and score some good runs," Boucher explained on the Smash Sports podcast.

"One thing I did pick up with Ro (Rohit) is that he is a fantastic guy. I mean he's been captaining for ages and he's done really well for Mumbai Indians. Now he also leads India as well. It is that he walks into a place and there's just cameras in it and he's so busy and he hasn't had probably the best couple of seasons of late with the bat but he's done well as a captain,” he added.

Rohit's wife Ritika Sajdeh nullifies Boucher’s statement by commenting on video 

Mumbai Indians' head coach’s revelation about replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya in the upcoming IPL season has sparked widespread interest. The now-deleted viral video gained immense attention, particularly after Ritika Sajdeh, wife of India's skipper Rohit Sharma, debunked Boucher's statement.

"So many things wrong with this," Rohit's wife Ritika reacted to Boucher's interview which was removed later.

As a result, her response has intensified speculation and debate among fans regarding the IPL 2024 season, thereby adding an intriguing layer to the unfolding narrative surrounding the team's leadership dynamics and the arrival of Hardik Pandya while ignoring potential integral players like Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav who have been loyal to the franchise over the years now.