Ambati Rayudu wants Rohit Sharma to join the Chennai Super Kings after being removed as captain of the Mumbai Indians for the 2024 IPL season.
Will Rohit Sharma play under Hardik’s captaincy? The suspense grows as the build-up to the IPL 2024 begins following India’s 4-1 thrashing of England in the recently concluded Test series. MI announced in December of last year that the returning Hardik would take over as captain, bringing an end to Rohit’s decade-long reign. The decision sparked a strong public backlash, with fans slamming the franchise’s decision and wishing to see their beloved Rohit return as captain.
Things got even more interesting when Rohit’s wife Ritika Sajdeh said, ‘So many things wrong with this’ in response to Mark Boucher’s statement that the call was made because captaincy was affecting Rohit’s batting and MI wanted to see him back flourishing as a batter. There was also the whole transition reason. Rohit has yet to speak publicly about it, but the inside noises do not indicate that everything is fine with the change in guard.
Ambati Rayudu, a former MI and CSK batter, spoke out in support of Rohit, claiming that MI probably rushed into the captaincy switch.
Hardik returns to MI after captaining Gujarat Titans for two seasons, winning one and finishing second in the other. But, while it speaks to his credentials as captain, Rayudu argued otherwise.
“This year, Rohit should have continued as captain, and Hardik could have taken over after a year. Rohit is still India’s captain in T20Is. I believe MI rushed into this decision, but they probably know best. So it’ll be difficult. Gujarat Titans had a different setup. Captaining MI is difficult because there are so many talented players on the team. “There is too much pressure, and not everyone can handle it,” Rayudu explained in an interview with The Ultimate News.
Rayudu wants to see Rohit in CSK
Rayudu then dropped a bombshell, stating that he wants Rohit to join the Chennai Super Kings, as has been widely speculated. The former India batter believes Rohit can still play for another 5-6 years, and after accomplishing everything there is for MI, including winning the title five times, the prospect of him embarking on a new chapter with the ‘Yellove Army’ is as exciting as it gets.
However, when asked by the anchor if Rohit should lead CSK if MS Dhoni retires after this season, Rayudu says the decision should be entirely up to Rohit. “Rohit can continue playing for another 5-6 years. I hope Rohit continues to play for CSK in the future. If he needs to captain, he can do so anywhere in the world.
With Rohit’s removal as captain, MI no longer has a star-studded squad. Hardik is set to make his captaincy debut alongside a group of promising young players including Nehal Wadhera, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Shams Mulani, Kumar Kartikeya, Gerald Coetzee, Akash Madhwal, and others.