In a year where Rohit Sharma has been largely successful as a captain, 2023 will end with the Indian skipper losing his Mumbai Indians leadership to Hardik Pandya.
It's a brave decision from the powers that be at the Mumbai Indians to take such a call given Rohit's enormous stature in the Indian Premier League.
The winner of five IPL titles for Mumbai Indians in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 is the joint-most successful captain in the history of the world's biggest cricket league along with Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
MI losing fans by the minute
The 'MI Paltan' will not exactly be happy with the decision of the management given the stature, profile and popularity that Rohit enjoys with the Mumbai Indians fans.
Rohit has been synonymous with Mumbai Indians clinching IPL crowns as he is the only captain in their history to claim IPL titles since 2013 and to relieve such a player is not an easy task.
Having tasted success at the Asia Cup this year and reaching the ODI World Cup final were the highlights of the year for Rohit and with speculation and talk of him counting days in the T20 format, the Pandya call opens a lot of questions.
The 3 questions in front of Rohit
Will Rohit Sharma captain the Indian team at the T20 World Cup?..or will he feature just as a player with Hardik as the captain of India?..or is the Pandya decision signalling the end of Rohit's T20I career?..
Three critical questions that seek clarity from the Indian selectors and the BCCI.
Among those three questions, the first one is most likely a yes given the fact that Rohit is still in marauding form as an opening batter plus he is supremely hungry to win a World Cup after faltering at the last hurdle in the ODI version.
The second seems unlikely atleast until the 2024 T20 World Cup while the third question is tilting more towards the yes given the fact that it's hard to see Rohit continuing or the selectors persisting with him in the T20I format beyond the 2024 World Cup.
Selectors looking at the future
Ajit Agarkar & Co would be looking ahead into the future and create space for the talented crop of young players who are rocking the IPL with their batting exploits.
Pandya's elevation to Mumbai Indians captaincy does not change selectors' plans for Rohit for the 2024 T20 World Cup but it makes it easier for the national selectors to look ahead post that.
