There are speculations that everything may not be right between Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya following the latter's appointment as captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI) for IPL 2024. Hardik Pandya took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma after rejoining MI from the Gujarat Titans (GT) during the trade window ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. 

However, this move seems to have backfired, as MI failed to qualify for the IPL 2024 playoffs. Mumbai Indians may finish at the bottom of the points table of they fail to win their remaining game against Lucknow Super Giants. 

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Why Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar didn't want Hardik Pandya in the team?

Despite the rumours of a rift, Hardik Pandya has been included in the 15-member Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, which is slated to be held in the USA and West Indies. Reports suggest that neither Rohit Sharma nor the selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar, were in favor of Hardik Pandya's inclusion.

However, Hardik Pandya's inclusion in the team was attributed to “pressure”, though the nature of this pressure remains unspecified. Reports indicate that Rohit Sharma, Ajit Agarkar, and certain selectors expressed reservations about Hardik Pandya's selection for the T20 World Cup 2024 due to his current form in IPL 2024. 

While taking a question on the selection of Hardik Pandya, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar recently said that no player can replace Hardik in the team right now. The statement suggests that Hardik Pandya was included in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad because of the lack of fast-bowling all-rounders in India. 

The decision to appoint Hardik Pandya as the vice-captain of the T20 World Cup team raises questions. One plausible explanation could be rooted in the perception of Hardik as a potential future captain for Team India in limited-overs cricket. If Rohit Sharma opts to step down post the T20 World Cup, Hardik emerges as a viable candidate to succeed him, hence his selection as vice-captain.

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India's squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj. Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan