‘Biggest pressure on Hardik Pandya will be….’: Ex-India star issues a big warning after Rohit Sharma’s wife reacts to MI captaincy change row

Ritika Sajdeh, the wife of Rohit Sharma, expressed her dissatisfaction on social media following the Mumbai Indians coach's defense of selecting Hardik Pandya to lead the team as captain.

One of the most talked-about stories on social media was the Mumbai Indians’ decision to replace Rohit Sharma as captain and install Hardik Pandya in his place. “There are so many things wrong with it,” Ritika Sajedh said in response to MI coach Mark Boucher’s podcast explanation of the “cricketing reasons” for the leadership transition. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra is concerned about Hardik Pandya and wonders if the all-rounder will be able to get the players to play as a team as the fractures within the Mumbai Indians family start to show.

Having led the team to five titles, Rohit continues to be one of the most successful captains in IPL history. However, Hardik, who joined the squad as part of a high-profile deal from Gujarat Titans, unexpectedly took over as captain.

Ritika’s remark made it apparent that things are not going well in the franchise, so Aakash Chopra issued a warning in a video posted to his YouTube channel, expressing reservations about the MI family’s ability to function as a unit.

“I was listening to an interview with Boucher where he explained why they did the captaincy change. He tried to explain the cricketing reasons, but Ritika (Rohit’s wife) commented below that, and it was obvious that it would go viral because she said – ‘So many things are wrong with this’,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

“We don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong. I am slightly worried because the Mumbai Indians have a phenomenal team on paper, but the biggest pressure on Hardik Pandya will be whether he can combine the five fingers to make a fist, whether he can take the entire team in one direction,” he added.

To ensure he is completely healthy for the start of the IPL 2024 season, Hardik is still present on the training pitch.

The Gujarat Titans were led by the recently named MI captain to two consecutive IPL finals, one of which they won. The MI owners thus have high hopes for him.