• Sportzyverse
• T20 World Cup 2024
• 05/14/2024
• 0 Comments

Mumbai Indians haven’t had the best season in IPL 2024. They suffered captaincy issues throughout the season and eventually dropped out of the tournament with a premature elimination.

They battled on two fronts throughout the season. On the field, they struggled to find the right combination to produce results. Off the field, they suffered trolls and criticism for the spontaneous removal of Rohit Sharma as captain.

Hardik Pandya, despite his best efforts, couldn’t silence his critics. Yet, the team has chosen to include him in the upcoming T20 World Cup in USA and West Indies, a decision that has raised eyebrows and sparked debates.

This time, the roles will be reversed as Rohit will enter the field as captain, and Pandya will be playing under his command as the deputy. However, several reports claim that both Sharma and selector Ajit Agarkar were unwilling to pick him in the squad.

A report by Dainik Jagran claims that the skipper and several members of the BCCI selection committee were against the inclusion of Pandya.

They wouldn’t be wrong to feel that way. The player has certainly failed to leave a mark on the game this season. In the 13 games in which he featured for his team, Pandya could only manage to score 200 runs at a strike rate of 144.9 and picked just 11 wickets at an economy of 10.5.

Also read Indian Squad for T20 World Cup Announced: In From Rishabh Pant, Dube, Samson Earn a Spot

Following his involvement in the squad, it was claimed that his selection of Pandya was made “under pressure.” There were also claims that Rohit Sharma would leave the T20 captaincy following the conclusion of the tournament.

Earlier, during the press conference following the T20 World Cup Squad Selection, the chief selector justified Pandya’s selection. They claimed that there was no like-for-like replacement for the player. It will be interesting to see how Pandya justifies his selection and whether or not India will be able to end its trophy drought.