BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla recently made a notable statement about Rohit Sharma’s fan base. Ahead of IPL 2024, Hardik Pandya was appointed captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI), replacing Rohit Sharma, a move that didn’t sit well with Rohit’s supporters. Hardik, who led the Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2022 and 2023, was acquired by MI for a massive ₹15 crore ahead of the 2024 season.
Despite the high-profile move, he faced boos from fans at the Wankhede Stadium after taking over the captaincy. Shukla acknowledged that Rohit’s fans were unhappy with the decision but lauded Hardik for handling the situation with maturity and staying focused on his performance.
“When such incidents happen, people within the BCCI do reach out to players not to worry. In Hardik’s case, Rohit Sharma’s fan base did not like it. But the matter is done. Neither did Rohit provoke him, and Hardik always knew this could happen and was mature.”
“He did not let it affect him. He did not get emotionally carried away. Then, when you start performing fans start applauding by themselves again,” he said in an interview on the UPT20 League’s YouTube channel. (41:12)
“No Need to Worry About Rohit & Virat’s Farewell”- Rajeev Shukla
Speculation has been rife recently about Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli potentially retiring from the one-day format, with the upcoming away series against Australia in October possibly marking their last international outings. Both players have already stepped away from T20Is and Tests.
When asked about a possible farewell from the BCCI during the Australia series, Rajeev Shukla clarified that neither has officially retired yet. He added that there’s no reason to be concerned about their retirement or farewells at this stage.
“Where have they retired yet? Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will both play in one-dayers. Why worry about their retirement and farewell now? There is no need. The BCCI policy is clear. We don’t tell any player to retire; they take the decision and we respect that,” he said. (42:42)
“We will tell how to do the farewell when the time comes. You want to do their farewell already. Virat Kohli is fit and plays well. Rohit Sharma plays well. Why worry about the farewell now?” he added.
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