Ahead of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, former Australian batsman Matthew Hayden used the example of the Indian cricket team and Mumbai Indians to emphasize the fragile nature of a successful team. Team India won 10 consecutive games in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup before losing the final to Australia. Mumbai Indians, after winning the IPL back to back in 2019 and 2020, have failed to qualify for the playoffs in three of the last four seasons and have been bottom of the table twice.
Speaking to Cricinfo, Hayden also said that fan sentiment towards the celebrity culture of a player like Rohit Sharma can be a “big promoter” but also a “big liability”.
Ahead of IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians decided to strip the captaincy of five-time IPL-winning captain Rohit Sharma in favor of Hardik Pandya, leading to widespread criticism from fans. According to Hayden, the situation was not addressed, which affected the “body language” of players and fans.
“The body language of the players, and the most important player, the 12th and 13th man at Wankhede Stadium, who have a great feeling towards celebrity culture,” Hayden said.
“If you say anything against Rohit Sharma (to Wankhede fans), you will be finished,” he said. “That’s the power of celebrity culture, that it’s a great promoter but also a great liability,” Hayden added.
Hayden hinted that the Indian team also suffered a similar problem during their 2023 World Cup final heartbreak. During the game, fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad were criticized on social media for the lack of atmosphere and support.
“There had to be an egoless and extremely safe ecosystem in Ahmedabad, but it was found wanting by a team that barely made it to the semi-finals (Australia),” Hayden said.
Rohit Sharma will lead India in the West Indies and the USA as India begin their quest for a second T20 World Cup title on June 5.
Topics mentioned in this article
This story originally appeared on ndtv.com read the full story
