"Anything Against Rohit, You're Finished': Hayden Slams 'Celebrity Culture'

Ahead of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, former Australian batsman Matthew Hayden used the example of the Indian cricket team and the Mumbai Indians to emphasise the fragile nature of a successful team. Team India had won 10 games in a row at 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 found themselves at the bottom of the table twice.

Speaking to Cricinfo, Hayden also said that fans' sentiment towards the celebrity culture of a player like Rohit Sharma can be a "great promoter", but also a "great liability".

Before IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians decided to strip captaincy away from five-time IPL winning captain Rohit Sharma in favour of Hardik Pandya, leading to widespread criticism from fans. According to Hayden, the situation was not addressed, which affected the "body language" of the players and the fans.

"The body language of the players, and the most important player, the 12th and 13th man at the Wankhede Stadium, who have this great sentiment towards celebrity culture," Hayden said.

"If you say anything against Rohit Sharma (to the Wankhede fans), you're finished," he said. "That's the power of celebrity culture, which is a great promoter but also a great liability," Hayden added.

Hayden implied that Team India had also suffered from a similar problem during their 2023 World Cup Final heartbreak. During the game, fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad were criticised on social media due to a lack of atmosphere and support.

"There had to be an ego-less and extremely secure ecosystem in Ahmedabad, but it was found wanting by a team that barely scraped into the semis (Australia)," Hayden said.

Rohit Sharma will be leading India in the West Indies and USA, as India begin their hunt for a second T20 World Cup title on June 5.