"I Do Not Focus...": Hardik Pandya Finally Opens Up On 'Backlash' After Replacing Rohit Sharma As MI Captain

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya on Monday said his predecessor Rohit Sharma will continue to be a guiding force for him during the IPL despite the unexpected change of leadership that the franchise announced ahead of the upcoming season, triggering a "backlash" from the fans. Pandya, who led Gujarat Titans in the past two seasons, is back at Mumbai Indians as captain for the 2024 edition. Having led Mumbai Indians to five titles, Rohit was surprisingly replaced by Pandya going into the upcoming season.

"It will not be any different, he will always be there to help me. You mentioned that he is the captain of the Indian team, which helps me because this team, what it has achieved, it has achieved under him "...from now onwards, it is (about) what he has achieved, I just have to carry forward that," Pandya said at a media interaction here.

"I don't think it will be any awkward or any different. It will be nice feeling because we have been playing for 10 years. I have played my whole career under him and he is going to have his hand on my shoulder throughout the season," he added.

Pandya admitted his move of leaving the Gujarat Titans' captaincy and replacing Rohit at the helm in Mumbai Indians did upset a section of fans.

"The backlash...To be very honest we respect fans but at the same time, we focus on the sport and what is required. I focus on the controllables and I do not focus on what I cannot control," Pandya said.

"At the same time, we are very grateful to fans. A lot of fame and love comes from them and they have every right and I respect their opinion," he added.

However, Pandya said he has not met Rohit for the last two months or so and would only be chatting with the former skipper once the squad gets into