'Hardik Pandya good but nowhere close to Rohit Sharma': Netizens react to Mumbai Indians' bombshell announcement

Mumbai Indians dropped a bombshell on Friday by naming Hardik Pandya captain for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). The massive announcement from the MI camp comes a little over two weeks since their blockbuster move to bring Pandya back into their fold from the Gujarat Titans, where he spent two seasons as captain and led them to the title on debut in 2022. The decision to bring Pandya, who spent seven seasons with MI between 2015 and 2021, back into the side was seen by many as a long-term move by the management, primarily as a successor to skipper Rohit Sharma. Few, however, would have expected the franchise to make a decision this big so early, and would have expected the ‘Hitman’ to lead for another season or two. The decision marks the end of an era, with Rohit stepping down as MI captain after a decade in which he had led the franchise to five IPL titles along with a Champions League T20 crown. What made Rohit’s leadership with MI standout was he enjoyed a 100 per cent record when it came to IPL finals. MI’s landmark decision was naturally met with mixed reactions on microblogging website X (formerly known as Twitter). Here are select reactions to the announcement: