'Tricky' Call Between Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya For T20 World Cup: Ashish Nehra Drops 'IPL' Factor

02.12.2023 - 10:09 sports.ndtv.com

Team India's squads for the upcoming tour of South Africa has been the topic of discussion lately. After reports emerged that veteran Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will miss the white-ball leg of tour (three T20Is and as many ODIs), the BCCI confirmed earlier this week that the star batters will return to the team for two-match Test series, starting December 26.

With Rohit rested and vice-captain Hardik Pandya out injured, KL Rahul will lead the team in the 50-over format, while Suryakumar Yadav will get his first taste of India captaincy away from home, having led the side to a T20I series-win over Australia on Friday.

Speaking on Hardik's injury, former India pacer Ashish Nehra feels the all-rounder's absence has made the situation tricky for the team. "I don't know about captaincy, there is still time.

It is a tricky one for the selectors also. Hardik Pandya also got injured and it will be interesting to see when he comes back into the Indian side.

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Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra admitted that it will be tough to replace a multi-faceted player like Hardik Pandya but banked on Shubman Gill to shoulder the responsibility of leading the side in next year's IPL. Pandya recently returned to Mumbai Indians and has been appointed as the skipper of the five-time champions. "To replace a player like Hardik Pandya is difficult considering his talent and experience. We have seen how he (Gill) has shaped up in the past three-four years. He is 24-25 years of age but he has a good head on his shoulders," Nehra said in a virtual post-auction press meet on Tuesday night.

MI Strategy At IPL 2024 Auction: Which Players Will Hardik Pandya And Co. Go For?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 Auction will take place on December 19 in Dubai. While the upcoming IPL season is likely to be scheduled for March next year, teams have already started endeavours to strengthen their respective squads. Five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have signalled their intent by securing the services of all-rounder Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans in an all-cash deal. The return of the talented all-rounder, known for his explosive batting and bowling, adds depth to the Mumbai Indians' line-up.

Viral Video: Hardik Pandya Called MI "Team Of Superstars", Rohit Sharma Said...

Ever since Mumbai Indians announced the decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as the franchise's skipper, the captaincy change has been one of the most talked-about topics on social media. While some fans are upset to see the captaincy responsibilities being taken away from Rohit, some have welcomed the 'timely change' in command. Some nostalgic fans have also been sharing old videos featuring Rohit and Hardik on social media, highlighting the times when they played for MI together and those occasions when the latter joined Gujarat Titans.

Explained: What Led To Mumbai Indians' Captain Change From Rohit Sharma To Hardik Pandya?

Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 champions Mumbai Indians dropped a bomb on the entire cricketing universe as they announced the decision to replace skipper Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder arrived from Gujarat Titans as part of a trade after MI decided to send Cameron Green to Royal Challengers Bangalore. But, little did fans know that the trade from GT wasn't in the capacity of a player but also a 'captain'. But, what led to this change in the leadership role?

On Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Playing T20 World Cup 2024, AB De Villiers' Big 'Hunger' Verdict

The future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has been the topic of several debates both among experts and fans in the recent past. Following India's defeat against Australia in the Cricket World Cup 2023 final, reports surfaced that the veteran duo are looking to move away from the shortest format of the sport and the conversation got more intense when they were not included in the white-ball series against South Africa. However, legendary South African cricketer AB De Villiers believes that it is all about the hunger in both the players and he backed Rohit and Virat to play for India in the T20 World Cup 2024.

Hardik Pandya Replaces Rohit Sharma As Mumbai Indians Skipper Ahead Of IPL 2024

Hardik Pandya was appointed the Mumbai Indians skipper ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season on Friday. It meant the end of Rohit Sharma's ten-year tenure as MI skipper. During his time as skipper, Rohit guided the franchise to five IPL trophies. Pandya rejoined the MI side as part of a sensational trade move from Gujarat Titans. The all-rounder was the GT captain for the past two years and he won the title with the franchise back in 2022.