Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 18 (ANI): Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya on Monday showered praise on India captain Rohit Sharma and said that the 36-year-old has been in “fantastic” touch.
Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season, Hardik said that if Rohit continues to perform, then MI can reach the last phase of the tournament.
“Rohit has been in a fantastic touch. The way he was hitting the ball against England was fantastic. I am looking forward to see him go out and express himself. If he has a fantastic season, we will be there in the dying stages of the tournament,” Hardik said in the Mumbai Indians’ pre-season press conference.
The MI skipper hailed pacer Jasprit Bumrah and called him a “champion cricketer”.
“Jassi has been our no. 1 bowler and he has been a champion cricketer. Last year, they did miss him and yes he is definitely a leader in the group,” he added.
Asked about his role for MI in the upcoming season, Hardik said that he will play as an “all-rounder”.
“This IPL, I will play as an all-rounder and finish as many games as possible and enjoy the position I have always loved,” he further added.
In November last year, Pandya moved back from Gujarat Titans (GT) to his former franchise as part of a trade between the two franchises. The star all-rounder spent two momentous years with GT, spearheading their campaign in the cash-rich league with confidence. In GT’s debut season in 2022, Hardik got them off to a fairytale start, with the team lifting the coveted trophy.
Pandya also played 92 matches for MI from 2015-2021, scoring 1,476 runs at an average of 27.33 at a strike rate of over 153, with four half-centuries and best score of 91. He also took 42 wickets for the team, with the best bowling figures of 3/20. Pandya has won five IPL trophies, four with MI (2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) and GT (2022).
The Mumbai-based franchise will kick off their campaign against Gujarat Titans on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
MI IPL 2024 squad: Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, N. Tilak Varma, Tim David, Vishnu Vinod, Arjun Tendulkar, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Jasprit Bumrah, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Akash Madhwal, Jason Behrendorff, Romario Shepherd, Hardik Pandya (C), Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Shreyas Gopal, Nuwan Thushara, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Mohammad Nabi, Shivalik Sharma. (ANI)
