In this IPL season, the condition of the five-time champion Mumbai Indians is very poor. Out of 5 matches, they have won only 1 and are ranked 8th in the points table. Right below them is Chennai Super Kings, also a five-time champion. SRH is at the bottom of the points table.
Talking about Mumbai Indians, the team is constantly experimenting but not finding success. How wise is the decision to play former captain Rohit Sharma as an impact player? Is Mumbai’s current captain Hardik Pandya, making a mistake here? On this issue, former cricketer Ambati Rayudu and former RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar had a heated argument during a show.
Sanjay Bangar Criticizes Rohit Sharma’s Impact Player Role
In ESPN Cricinfo’s ‘Time Out’, Sanjay Bangar criticized the decision to play Rohit Sharma as an impact player. He argued that Rohit’s presence on the field is invaluable because of his leadership and strategic abilities. He has led the Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles.
According to a report from ‘Sports Tak’, Sanjay Bangar shared his views on ESPN Cricinfo’s show, saying, “I think Rohit Sharma’s absence on the field hurts a lot from a leadership perspective. He could have provided the right input to Hardik Pandya as well.”
Ambati Rayudu Defends Hardik Pandya’s Leadership
Bangar’s opinion didn’t sit well with Ambati Rayudu. Rayudu openly stated that Hardik Pandya should be allowed to captain on his own terms. He said, “I don’t think Hardik needs input. A captain should be allowed to make decisions on his own. This is his team, his decisions, and like last year, you can’t place all the decision-making on him. Rohit is the captain of India, and no one interferes when he is captaining. The same approach should be followed with Hardik.”
The Debate Turns Heated
Bangar seemed upset with Rayudu’s response. He replied, “It’s different for you because you have never captained an IPL team. But here we are talking about the person who has led the team to win many IPL titles.”
Despite this, Rayudu remained firm in his stance. He said, “But this is not Rohit’s team; it’s Hardik’s team. Rohit is a great leader, and we all agree, but this team belongs to Hardik, and he should make his own decisions.”