'Having Rohit in the team...' - MI's Mahela Jayawardene comes up with 'Sachin Tendulkar' example on Rohit Sharma's removal as captain

Just after removing Rohit Sharma from the captaincy and replacing him with the star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians are facing a huge backlash from the fans over social media. Apart from that, the joint-most successful franchise in the history of the tournament lost a huge number of followers around more than 5 lakhs.

Since this change in the leadership, the MI management has been seen working in damage control to clear their stand for the fans; in the same line of events, MI’s Global Head of Cricket, Mahela Jayawardene came up with a statement in which he spoke about the importance of Rohit Sharma in the Mumbai Indians’ management.

"I think everyone is emotional and we have to respect that." - Mahela Jayawardene on fans' outrage on 'Rohit Sharma captaincy' row

Apart from that, Jayawardene also came up with an example of the former legendary Indian batter and former Mumbai Indians’ skipper Sachin Tendulkar while clearing the MI establishment’s stance on the role of Rohit Sharma in the team.

"It was a tough decision. It was emotional, to be honest. It's fair on the fans as well (to react). I think everyone is emotional and we have to respect that as well. But at the same time, as a franchise, you have to make those decisions. The legacy is something we want to build on and make sure we keep fighting for those wins, those trophies. That's the focus going ahead. Probably, everyone in their eyes will think it is too soon, but it is a decision we had to make at some point,” said Mahela Jayawardene on Jio Cinema.

“Having Rohit in the team, on and off the field to guide the next generation is very important for us. He has been brilliant. I have worked very closely with him. I am sure he will be part of the legacy that will guide that through. Sachin [Tendulkar] played with the youngsters. He gave the leadership to someone else and made sure Mumbai Indians were going in the right direction. It's the same thing. We had this conversation and everyone is buying into that. It's for us to look forward to the next season,” he added later.