Watch: Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya Reunite as Mumbai Indians Stars Share a Warm Hug

IPL franchise Mumbai Indians have shared a clip of their new captain Hardik Pandya greeting his predecessor Rohit Sharma with a warm hug during a pre-season camp at the Wankhede Stadium.

Rohit’s highly successfull reign as MI captain ended with the appointment of Pandya with the franchise hoping the allrounder’s Midas touch will help them win a record sixth IPL title after last winning the trophy in 2020.

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In the clip, Pandya can see seen approaching Rohit with the two exchanging pleasantries with MI coach Mark Boucher overseeing the training session.

Earlier this week, Pandya had dismissed speculations that there will be an awkwardness with former captain Rohit.

“Rohit Sharma is captain of Indian team, which helps me, what this team has achieved, was achieved under his belt – I just carry forward, I played whole career under him and I know, he will always have his hand on my shoulder. I don’t feel it would be awkward or different,” Pandya said on Monday.

Rohit was named MI captain in 2013 and he guided them to five IPL titles.

However, after their last successfull season in 2020, MI endured a couple of poor seasons in a row including a first-ever bottom-of-the-table finish in 2022.

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On the other hand, Pandya left MI for Gujarat Titans ahead of the team’s IPL debut in 2022 and he famously guided them to a title win.

To prove the result wasn’t a fluke, Pandya oversaw another excellent season for GT last year as they made it to a second final in a row but finished runners-up to Chennai Super Kings.

The 30-year-old Pandya has been out of action since the 2023 ODI World Cup when a freak injury midway through a match cut short his participation in the marquee event.

“It was a freak injury. When I twisted my ankle, it looked like a normal niggle. I went for a scan and went straight to the National Cricket Academy next day to start the process. During that period, I pushed myself to return to the team but ended up aggravating the injury,” Hardik said.

Pandya also revealed that he had regained full fitness in January itself.

MI will begin their IPL 2024 campaign when they face GT on March 24 in Ahmedabad.