Irfan Pathan says, “Rohit Sharma's stature in the Mumbai Indians is similar to MS Dhoni's in the Chennai Super Kings.”
Former cricketer of team India, Irfan Pathan, praised the legacy that Rohit Sharma is leaving behind at the Mumbai Indians. Ahead of the IPL 2024 season, the franchise announced right away that Hardik Pandya will be taking over as the Mumbai Indians captain, replacing Rohit, who had been at the helm since 2013. He was traded to the Mumbai Indians for INR 15 crore from the Gujarat Titans. This marked the end of an era for Rohit, where he led the team to five titles in the Indian Premier League.
While speaking, Irfan opined that Rohit Sharma to the Mumbai Indians is what MS Dhoni is to CSK. He acknowledged the efforts with which Rohit built the team and led them to five IPL titles.
Irfan said, "Rohit Sharma has a huge stature in the team. For me, Rohit Sharma's stature among Mumbai Indians is similar to that of Dhoni's stature at CSK. Rohit Sharma has built the team with blood and sweat as captain; he has contributed a lot and is always involved in the team meetings. He is an amazing captain—a bowlers' captain. Last year, despite Jofra Archer's form and Jasprit Bumrah not being there, Rohit still had a great IPL season as a captain.”
Irfan also backed Hardik as captain for MI but also reckoned that it would be a challenge for the all-rounder to be leading a team that has stalwarts like Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rohit himself.