Credit: Twitter
IPL is a stage that has given many players a new life to their careers, right from youngsters like Jasprit Bumrah to seniors like Pravin Tambe. Mumbai Indians have been a stand-out team in cherry-picking the best youngsters that no one had ever seen and making them into stars. In a recent interview, Rohit Sharma named Tilak Verma and Nehal Wadhera as the next superstars for the IPL franchise and India.
Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are the foremost names that come from Mumbai Indians who have reached the pinnacle in the last decade. MI skipper asserted that in the next two years, Nehal Wadhera and Tilak Verma will become superstars, and then people will accuse MI of being a team of superstars.
"Honestly it is going to be the same story that happened with (Jasprit) Bumrah, Hardik (Pandya), and all these guys. The same story will happen with people like Tilak Verma and Nehal Wadhera. Look at the next two years, then people will say ‘Arre yeh toh superstar team hai (They are a team full of superstars)’," Rohit told Jio Cinema.
He added, "Bhai hum bana rahe hain idhar baith kar. Hum ja rahe hain, unhe dekh rahe hain. Humari team ja rahi hai, dekh rahi hai unko aur leke aa rahi hai. [We are making them (superstars). We are going and watching them. Our team is watching them and bringing them here.]"
Wadhera has 213 runs in eight matches this IPL season at an average of 30 and a strike rate of 141. In the limited chances he has got, Wadhera has certainly impressed the viewers. Tilak Verma carried on his form from last year and continued to impress, but his injuries prevented him from playing all the matches. According to some fans, the MI skipper's remarks could be a reply to Hardik Pandya’s statement in an interview a few days ago in which he said that MI got the ‘best people possible from A to B’ while Chennai had the best environment which propelled the players.
Rohit applauded the efforts of the scouts who have given Mumbai and Indian cricket many great players over the years. The five-time IPL winner also talks about his process as a captain and his relationships with various coaches and players. This interview gives a deep insight into Sharma’s thought process as a captain. Mumbai Indians, who have yet again made it to the playoffs of the Indian Premier League, will be up against Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2023 Eliminator on Wednesday, May 24.