Ritika Sajdeh Burns Internet With Her Reply After MI Coach Reveals Why Rohit Was Removed From Captaincy

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a premier Twenty20 cricket league held annually in India. It has a huge fan following, all around the world. Mumbai Indians in one of the most successful teams of IPL. For all the right reasons?

Indeed for all the right reasons. Recently, the Mumbai Indians IPL franchise caused a stir online by replacing Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain. Coach Mark Boucher’s explanation on a podcast stirred further controversy. However, it is Rohit’s wife Ritika’s subsequent social media comment on the podcast that sparked a new wave of buzz.

A video of Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher justifying the MI captaincy change is making its round on the internet

The choice to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain led to a significant loss of followers for the Mumbai Indians’ franchise on social media, with fans expressing disapproval. Now, a video featuring Mumbai Indian coach Mark Boucher explaining the reasoning behind the captaincy change is circulating widely across the internet, sparking further discussion and debate.

In a recent Smash Sports podcast, Mumbai Indian coach Mark Boucher addressed the controversial decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain, clarifying it as purely a “cricketing choice.” Boucher highlighted the intention to alleviate some of Rohit’s responsibilities and provide Hardik with leadership opportunities. He justified the move by especially citing Hardik’s success with the Gujarat Titans in previous IPL seasons.

Boucher said on the podcast,

“[Rohit] has not had the best couple of seasons of late with the bat, but he has done well as a captain. One thing I picked up with Ro, as well, who is a fantastic guy – he has been captaining for ages and he has done really well for Mumbai Indians, and India as well – is that he walks into a place and there are just cameras, and he is so busy. Speaking with the Mumbai Indians group, we thought that this is an opportunity to step in for his last year or so.”

Boucher emphasized the desire to enhance Rohit’s batting focus by relieving him of captaincy duties and thereby allowing him to play more freely. Despite acknowledging Rohit’s leadership prowess, Boucher noted the added pressure and media scrutiny associated with captaincy, suggesting that stepping down might rejuvenate Rohit’s performance on the field.

While Rohit will continue to lead the Indian cricket team, Boucher emphasized the aim of fostering a relaxed environment for Rohit within the IPL setup, enabling him to excel as a player without the additional burden of captaincy expectations. He said as we quote,

He is still going to captain India, that hype is going to be there. But when he steps into the IPL maybe just taking that extra bit of pressure off him as a captain, maybe we get the best out of Rohit Sharma. We see him playing with a nice smile on his face, spending a bit of time with the beautiful family he has got. There’s no easy way to do it.

Head Coach of Mumbai Indians Mark Boucher about the Captaincy selection.

Rohit Sharma’s wife Ritika commented ” …”#RohitSharma #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/RncyzxcuJI

— Ajay Gautam (@gautam_ajay007) February 6, 2024

This podcast did not sit well with a lot of netizens and especially Rohit Sharma’s wife Ritika

Mark Boucher’s comments on the podcast regarding the Mumbai Indians’ captaincy change stirred controversy and did not sit well with many, particularly Rohit Sharma’s wife, Ritika Sajdeh. Boucher’s explanation about the decision being purely cricket-related and aimed at easing Rohit’s burden while giving Hardik Pandya a leadership opportunity was met with criticism.

Ritika Sharma, in particular, expressed displeasure with Boucher’s remarks, igniting further debate and scrutiny surrounding the contentious captaincy shift within the Mumbai Indians franchise. She took to the comment section and wrote as we quote,

“So many things wrong with this…”

What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you agree that the decision of the Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher to replace Rohit Sharma as the captain? Do you think Hardik Pandya is a right choice? Do share your thoughts via the comments below.