Former Mumbai Indians player Ambati Rayudu said Hardik Pandya should not be the captain if he stays with the team. Hardik struggled after taking over the leadership role, as the side finished in the lower half of the table. Rayudu noted, "In Mumbai, I just thought that Hardik felt cornered."
"In Mumbai, I just thought that Hardik felt as if he was cornered," said the former cricketer
Hardik Pandya's move to Mumbai Indians has not gone well at all. The fast-bowling all-rounder was made skipper of the side, which did not go well. The side, apart from not winning the title, has ended up in the lower half of the table in two of the three seasons Hardik led them.
Former Mumbai Indians player Ambati Rayudu said that he felt Hardik was concerned about his role and had started to look over his shoulder.
"In Mumbai, I just thought that Hardik felt as if he was cornered. And once you feel you're cornered, you're always looking over your shoulder. Once that happens in a dressing room, you tend to come out in ways that you wouldn't want to. A lot of things didn't go well for Hardik. It might be Hardik's fault as well as something else," Rayudu said on Cricbuzz.
Rayudu also gave a stern verdict that if Pandya wants to stay at Mumbai Indians, he should not continue as captain of the side.
"From now on, if he wants to stay at MI, I don't think he should be the captain. He should just play his game, enjoy his time, and be a match-winner for MI. But if he goes out, definitely not a captain again, at least for one season," Rayudu said.
There have been speculation about Pandya's trade to Punjab and few other franchises speaking about them the all-round told: "I think either Punjab or CSK, because these are the two teams he could go to, but he shouldn't be captain. He'll find a very good space there in terms of his cricket. But with KKR, there's so much on the plate that he needs to assess and take things forward because they need a captain. It's not an easy team to captain right now," Rayudu said.