Hardik, who took over as skipper this season in place of the five-time IPL-winning captain Rohit Sharma, had a challenging start to his captaincy tenure as MI endured consecutive defeats.
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On top of the two losses, the former Gujarat Titans skipper was booed by fans at Ahmedabad and Hyderabad — the venue of MI’s first two matches — as they were clearly not happy with the way Rohit was removed from captaincy.
Another video surfaced on social media of the Mumbai-Sunrisers Hyderabad match in which he was seen having an intense discussion with owner Akash Ambani on Wednesday.
During the brief chat, Ambani was observed doing most of the talking before Hardik hurried up the staircase towards the MI dressing room. Subsequently, Mumbai fans directed fervent ‘Rohit-Rohit’ chants towards Hardik, prompting the captain to vent his frustration by banging the railing.
Australian star batter Steve Smith has advised Pandya to simply “block out” the constant jeers and boos the new Mumbai Indians skipper is receiving from spectators at the IPL so far, as they are “all irrelevant”.
“I’d try and just say, to block it out, it’s all irrelevant,” Smith, who has faced abuse from fans across the world for his role in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town, told ESPNcricinfo.
“No one outside knows what you are going through. No one (from outside) is in that change room.”
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Source Agencies
