Former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke expressed his opinions regarding the Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya ‘beef’ suggesting that “Hardik wouldn’t be in that World Cup campaign” had there been serious tension between the two.
“You know what, knowing Rohit Sharma, he will wrap his arms around Hardik Pandya. That shows the character that Rohit is. He is the Indian captain and trust me… he wants to win that World Cup. He has had a lot of say in the 15 that is picked by India,” said the 2015 World Cup winning captain on the Around the Wicket podcast.
Mumbai Indians have been under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma for a decade and a change in long stable relations is bound to have ripple effects across the locker room. The 5-time champions became the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention in the 2024 IPL and all attention will be shifting towards the T20 World Cup set to commence less than a week after the IPL final.
“It’s very different to let’s say the Australian 15. They are heavily focussed on spin bowling. If the beef between Rohit and Hardik was as strong as people think, Hardik wouldn’t be in that World Cup campaign. The Indian captain has that much power.I think while there are obviously issues with how Rohit was released off his duties as captain of Mumbai Indians, I don’t think that will affect their friendship, selection or Rohit Sharma. He will make sure Hardik is as focussed as possible,” Clarke added.
Recent reports by The Indian Express suggested that some senior players including Rohit Sharma were unhappy with Hardik’s leadership style and that players in the likes of Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar held meetings with the Mumbai Indian management to discuss what they felt.
“You’ve seen in the last couple of games and Hardik knows he has to be batting and bowling and has to improve his game from where it’s been in the first half of the IPL. Right now it’s based on performance and as long as Hardik is performing, Rohit knows how important he is for that Indian team,” concluded the Aussie veteran.