Ex-Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma participated in the first nets session since joining the camp ahead of IPL 2024. The veteran right-handed batter played some eye-catching drives against both spinners and pacers, given the crisp sound of the bat. The franchise's official social media handle posted a video of the same.
Rohit was last in action during the five-Test series against England and had a decent outing, scoring crucial centuries in Rajkot and Dharamsala to batter the tourists 4-1. The 36-year-old's captaincy came under fire after India bottled the opening Test to lose by 28 runs, but received widespread appreciation for rallying a young side to continue the hosts' undefeated streak since 2012.
"He is going to have his hand on my shoulders" - Hardik Pandya on Rohit Sharma
During a press conference on Monday, Hardik brushed aside any possibility of feeling awkward while captaining Rohit Sharma, who he expects to be of massive help. The Baroda-born all-rounder elaborated:
"It will not be any different, he will always be there to help me. This team, what it has achieved, it has achieved under him and I just have to carry forward that. It won’t be awkward. He is going to have his hand on my shoulders. We respect fans but we focus on the sport and what is required. I focus on the controllables, fans have every right and I respect their opinion."
Mumbai Indians will open their campaign against the Gujarat Titans on March 24th.
