Former India cricketer and veteran commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu opined on the captaincy change row in Mumbai Indians ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. There has been a constant buzz surrounding the five-time champions” decision to trade Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans and appoint him as the captain. However, Sidhu believes that Sharma”s stature won”t decrease while playing under Pandya due to the legacy he has built.

Sidhu gave the example of his playing days when he played under five captains in a team but there were no issues as everyone was motivated to play for their nation. He, additionally, mentioned that players like MS Dhoni and Rohit are great while is a dwarf, hitting out at the Mumbai Indians all-rounder.

“I have played in an Indian team where five captains used to pay together. Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Ravi Shastri. Pick up a brick and you will find a captain both above and below it. There were no issues because they were playing for their nation. The motivation was to play for your country. So, playing under Hardik does not make Rohit smaller.”

“Dhoni has passed the baton already and that could have happened in Mumbai Indians as well. But this is a franchise and they look at the performances. They gave it three years and when it did not work, they got a new person for the job. You need to accept it. But Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni are great players. A dwarf is a dwarf even if he is standing at the top of a mountain and a God is a God even if they are standing at the bottom of a well,” Sidhu said during the analysis on Star Sports.

There were a few moments of disagreement between Sharma and Pandya during Mumbai Indians opener against Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2024.

Under Pandya”s captaincy, Mumbai Indians continued their long-standing tradition of losing their first match as they lost by six runs to Gujarat Titans.