IPL 2024: Rohit Sharma takes charge after SRH onslaught, instructs skipper Hardik Pandya to field in the deep | WATCH

IPL 2024: Playing on their home ground, Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by 31 runs on Wednesday thanks to some solid knocks from Travis Head (62), Abhishek Sharma (63) and Heinrich Klaasen (80). The SRH batsmen tore apart the star-studded MI bowling line-up and also set a new record for the highest total in an IPL match.

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The carnage began with Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma going all out against the Mumbai Indians bowlers, while Heinrich Klaasen ensured that SRH's total of 277 was well beyond the reach of Mumbai Indians, essentially sealing victory for his side.

Perhaps realising the seriousness of the situation, with Mumbai Indians bowlers getting hit left, right and centre, former MI captain Rohit Sharma was seen taking charge of the fielding, even instructing current captain Hardik Pandya to go and field on the boundary line.

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In a video shared on Instagram, Rohit Sharma can be seen instructing Hardik Pandya to field at the boundary line, after which the MI captain runs to the instructed position.

Notably, a similar video had gone viral on social media where Rohit Sharma could be seen in shock as the Mumbai Indians skipper instructed him to field at long-on. Sharma, who is used to captaining India and the Mumbai Indians, was seen double-checking before heading for the boundary rope.

Hardik Pandya -Rohit Sharma captaincy row:

Rohit Sharma captained Mumbai Indians from 2013 to 2023 and led the franchise to 5 IPL trophies, making him one of the most successful captains in the tournament. However, a transitioning Mumbai Indians side failed to make the play-offs in 2021 and 2022, while despite reaching the play-offs they failed to lift another trophy in 2023.

The limited success from 2021-2023 prompted the MI team management to bring Hardik Pandya back into the squad and give him the captaincy over the veteran player. Since then, there has been a lot of controversy as to how and why Rohit was removed from the captaincy, with some reports going as far as suggesting that all may not be well between the two players.