NEW DELHI: Hardik Pandya replacing Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians’ (MI) captain following his move from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) led to a significant backlash from the fans. Throughout the IPL season, Pandya was frequently targeted by fans, being booed every time he stepped in for the toss.
The situation escalated to the point where former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, during one of the tosses, had to intervene, asking the Wankhede crowd to “behave.”
Recently, India and Mumbai Indians’ star pacer Jasprit Bumrah shared his two cents on the issue, expressing that the MI team stood firmly behind Pandya during this challenging period.
“You have to take it on your chin. That’s where the inner circle comes in. We, as a team, don’t encourage that, we don’t promote that. We don’t think that’s warranted,” Bumrah told The Indian Express.
“We were with him (Hardik), talking to him, if he needed support. Certain things are beyond your control. If it happened, it happened,” the pacer said.
Bumrah said things changed when India won the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Pandya, who had been jeered was suddenly cheered by the fans, after his match-winning final over in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa. His effort of 3/20, which included dismissing Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, was crucial in India’s title win.
Pandya scored 144 runs at an impressive strike rate exceeding 150 and also claimed 11 wickets over the course of the T20 World Cup.
“The narrative just changed, when we won the World Cup. This is part of the journey. It’s us against the world. We will try to give as much support as we can,” Bumrah said.
The situation escalated to the point where former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, during one of the tosses, had to intervene, asking the Wankhede crowd to “behave.”
Recently, India and Mumbai Indians’ star pacer Jasprit Bumrah shared his two cents on the issue, expressing that the MI team stood firmly behind Pandya during this challenging period.
“You have to take it on your chin. That’s where the inner circle comes in. We, as a team, don’t encourage that, we don’t promote that. We don’t think that’s warranted,” Bumrah told The Indian Express.
“We were with him (Hardik), talking to him, if he needed support. Certain things are beyond your control. If it happened, it happened,” the pacer said.
Bumrah said things changed when India won the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Pandya, who had been jeered was suddenly cheered by the fans, after his match-winning final over in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa. His effort of 3/20, which included dismissing Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, was crucial in India’s title win.
Pandya scored 144 runs at an impressive strike rate exceeding 150 and also claimed 11 wickets over the course of the T20 World Cup.
“The narrative just changed, when we won the World Cup. This is part of the journey. It’s us against the world. We will try to give as much support as we can,” Bumrah said.
Source Agencies
