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Rohit and Hardik during net session ahead of IND vs IRE match (Source: X)
Team India is gearing up for their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign with a clash against Ireland on Wednesday (June 4). Although the Men in Blue have a quality unit, there are some concerns surrounding team combination and player bonding. While the management may find a winning combination, the uncertainty surrounding the relationship between the two leaders, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya, is giving them a headache.
It all started when Rohit lost the captaincy of Mumbai Indians (MI) after Hardik was traded from Gujarat Titans (GT) ahead of IPL 2024. Following the shock decision by the franchise, Hardik faced the wrath of fans both on and off the field. There were rumours that Rohit and Hardik did not see eye-to-eye in the dressing room and all was not well between the Indian captain and vice-captain.
On top of that, Hardik, who led GT to successful campaigns in back-to-back editions, failed to repeat the same with MI, who finished at the bottom of the points table. It is imperative for a team to have great bonding in a major tournament like the World Cup. As India aim to end their decade-long ICC trophy drought, head coach Rahul Dravid has a key role to play in setting aside the MI controversies and creating a vibrant atmosphere in the team camp.
Rohit faces his deputy at nets ahead of IND vs IRE clash
It seems like Rohit and Hardik have decided to move on from the MI saga and fight for a common cause of winning India's second T20 World Cup title. The two were seen engaging in an intense net session ahead of India's first match against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
Hardik, who had earlier faced criticism for not bowling his quota of four overs, was spotted bowling full throttle in the nets against Rohit on the eve of their tournament opener.
Notably, this was India’s first practice session after their only warm-up game against Bangladesh at the same venue on June 1. Rohit and Co. defeated the Tigers by 60 runs. Hardik scored an unbeaten 40 runs off 23 balls including a hat-trick of sixes and also took a wicket in his three overs.