Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami for Gujarat Titans (Courtesy: IPL/Twitter)
Premier India fast bowler Mohammed Shami downplayed Hardik Pandya”s move from IPL franchise Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians amid all the ruckus and discussion around the topic on social media.
The Indian all-rounder led Gujarat Titans to their maiden title in the debut season of the lucrative tournament and followed it up by becoming the runners-up in the IPL 2023. Shami looks at Pandya”s move as a personal decision and mutually agreed move since the one-time champions hadn”t signed the all-rounder on a lifetime contract.
“Kisike jane se kisiko farak nahi padta (See, it doesn”t matter who is leaving). You have to see the team”s balance. Hardik was there, he captained us well. He took us to the final in both editions and we won once. But Gujarat hadn”t signed Hardik for a lifetime. It”s his decision to stay or leave,” Shami told News24.
Following the move, Gujarat Titans passed the captaincy baton to prolific India opener Shubman Gill who has a brilliant record at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Shami believes that there is no certainty that even Gill will be a part of the Ahmedabad-based franchise for a long time as even he can decide to part ways with the franchise after gaining experience. However, the Arjuna Awardee mentioned that as a captain it is important to be responsible for the team and extract the best out of the side.
“Shubman is made captain now, he will also gain experience. Some day, he might also leave. And it”s a part of the game. Players come and go. When you become captain, it”s important to handle the responsibility while taking care of your performances. And that responsibility has been assigned to Shubman this time. He might have some load in his mind, but the players are more or less the same. So he doesn”t need to worry. You need to manage players well and extract the best out of your players,” Shami said.
Pandya amassed nearly 800 runs and scalped 11 wickets for Gujarat Titans in his two season. It, however, remains to be seen if he recovers in time from the ankle injury to participate in the IPL 2024.
