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Former Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma has started his preparations for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Rohit joined the Mumbai camp on Monday, March 18, and immediately hit the nets to get into the groove. The right-handed batter was last seen in action during the five-match Test series against England, which India won 4-1.
Rohit, who was replaced by Hardik Pandya as MI skipper, looked in the groove in the 30-second clip shared by the franchise on various social media platforms. He played a few sumptuous cover drives, came down the track a few times, and also unleashed his favorite pool shot a couple of times.
Watch the clip here:
With no added responsibility on his shoulders now, Rohit Sharma will look to bat freely and lead Mumbai's batting from the front. The 35-year-old has had a couple of underwhelming campaigns in the IPL in the recent past.
He managed to score only 332 runs in 16 games last year at a dismal average of 20.75. Rohit's average slipped to below 20 in IPL 2022, where he scored just 268 runs in 14 matches.
However, he looked in good touch against England, scoring two centuries and a fifty. The star batter will hope to replicate his form in IPL 2024, which will be followed by the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies.
"I know he will always have his hand on my shoulder" - Hardik Pandya on replacing Rohit Sharma as MI skipper
After leading Gujarat Titans for two years, Hardik Pandya was traded back to Mumbai Indians, where he began playing in the IPL. On the back of his immense success as a leader, the all-rounder was also handed the captaincy reins this year.
When asked about the captaincy change, Hardik asserted that there wouldn't be any awkwardness between him and Rohit. The new MI skipper further stressed that he expects Rohit to help him when in need.
"Rohit Sharma is Captain of Team India which helps me, what this team has achieved, was achieved under his leadership and I just carry forward. I played my whole career under him and I know he will always have his hand on my shoulder," Rohit told reporters.
Mumbai Indians will begin their IPL 2024 campaign against last year's runner-up Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 24.
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