Rohit Sharma, one of the most successful captains of the Indian Premier League (IPL), received a grand welcome from Mumbai Indians (MI) as he joined the star-studded team ahead of the upcoming season.
In a video shared by MI, young fans were seen hyping up Rohit as the latter entered the team hotel. The Mumbai-based franchise captioned the Instagram post:
“WOH AAA GAYA…RO AA GAYA.” (He has come, Ro has come.)
Rohit has led MI to five trophies (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020) in the cash-rich league. As a skipper, he led the franchise to 87 wins in 158 matches at a win percentage of 55.06. Only Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni (133 victories) is ahead of Rohit in terms of most wins in the T20 tournament.
As a player, Rohit has the most titles (five at MI and one at Deccan Chargers) in the tournament.
With the bat, Rohit is one of the leading run-scorers in the IPL. The right-handed batter has amassed 6211 runs in 243 matches at a strike rate of 130.05, including one ton and 42 half-centuries. With the ball, he has scalped 15 wickets, including a hat-trick.
The 36-year-old, however, has managed just 600 runs at an average of 20 in his last two IPL seasons.
Rohit recently led India to a 4-1 series win over England in Tests. The opener amassed 400 runs in nine innings at an average of 44.44, hitting four half-centuries.
“I know he will have his hand on my shoulder all through the season – Hardik Pandya on Rohit Sharma
Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya said that he will look to carry Rohit Sharma’s legacy at MI after replacing him as the skipper ahead of the IPL 2024 season. The all-rounder said at the press conference:
“It won’t be any different because he will always be there to help me out if I need his help. At the same time, his (Rohit) being the Indian captain helps me because this team has achieved all its glory under his belt.
“From now on, it will just be me carrying forward what he started. I know he will have his hand on my shoulder all through the season.”
MI will begin their IPL 2024 campaign against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 24.
Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee
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