Former India and Mumbai Indians keeper Parthiv Patel has revealed an interesting anecdote when Rohit Sharma demanded to the franchise that Jasprit Bumrah be retained and not released despite his ordinary start to his IPL career.
Bumrah made his IPL debut in 2013 but had underwhelming shows in his first three seasons. That’s when Mumbai Indians management and owners were contemplating releasing him back in the auction pool.
However, the captain Rohit Sharma had already seen something in Bumrah and demanded the franchise retain him, says Parthiv.
Rohit Sharma is always with the players: Parthiv Patel
Patel reveals how the five-time IPL-winning captain with Mumbai Indians had the backs of players like Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, and how he groomed them to become the superstars they are right now.
“Rohit is always with the players and the biggest examples of it are Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. Bumrah joined MI in 2013, but when he played his first season in 2015, it didn’t turn out that well. MI had decided to drop Bumrah midway through the season but Rohit felt this is one solid player and that they should keep him. And you saw how from 2016, Bumrah’s performance reached the next level,” Parthiv said on Jio Cinema.
“Same with Hardik Pandya. When he joined in 2015, he became quite the rage but in 2016 he had a bad season. The thing is when you’re an uncapped player, franchises release you quickly and then assess how a player is performing in Ranji Trophy or other domestic matches before maybe taking them back. But Rohit did not let it happen. That’s why these guys went on to become the players that they did,” added Parthiv.
It is Hardik Pandya now who has replaced Rohit Sharma as the new Mumbai Indians captain ahead of the IPL 2024 season.
The IPL 2024 season starts on March 22, and on the next day, MI will kick off their campaign against Gujarat in Ahmedabad.
Also Read: Explained: 2 Reasons Why Ajit Agarkar Doesn’t Want To Pick Virat Kohli In T20 World Cup Team
