For his first two IPL 2024 games as skipper of Mumbai Indians, Hardik has already faced jeers at two different locations. At the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, he took the brunt of the Gujarat Titans supporters, which was to be expected given that Hardik had left the team to return to Mumbai after winning the championship in the previous season.
When the Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya’s name was called out prior to the toss at Wankhede, the crowd booed him, prompting Sanjay Manjrekar, who was presiding over the toss, to ask the audience to “behave.”
Hardik Pandya, the MI captain. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Manjrekar urged the supporters to behave as they booed the captain, something that has become common throughout this Indian Premier League season. Loud cheers were also directed towards former captain Rohit Sharma.
Being a part of this game is really exciting. We must always follow the process and look ahead to the future. On the surface, Pandya was confident, but after losing the toss, he stated, “Looking forward to playing a brand of cricket everyone enjoys.”
Though it couldn’t have been simple, Hardik put up a brave face. He continued to say the appropriate things and smiled. During the coin toss, he responded, “This franchise holds a lot of value and a lot of love from the fans,” in reference to taking part in his 250th MI game.
“I’ve never witnessed anything like this before, a captain being booed during the toss. There’s no doubting his skills as a player. Additionally, his leadership qualities are evident with two finals appearances at GT in two years,” remarked Eoin Morgan during the pre-match show.
Rohit Sharma, adored by the crowd and now elevated as India captain, received a resounding welcome as he stepped onto the pitch to bat. However, the excitement quickly turned into disappointment as he was dismissed by Trent Boult’s left-arm pace with the first ball. The crowd fell silent as Mumbai Indians continued to lose wickets, finding themselves at 20/4 in no time.
In a very critical situation, Hardik came out to bat. He launched a quick counterattack, aiming to take on Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Nandre Burger. The crowd was agitated because they were unsure of how to respond. But the chants of support from the audience increased with each Hardik boundary. It wasn’t necessary to call on the officers in plain clothes stationed in a few of the stands.
Later in the game, Rohit Sharma was seen trying to quiet the supporters by asking them not to jeer Hardik Pandya. However, Rohit’s assistance won’t be enough to solve this problem. Maybe the anger in the crowd isn’t motivated by personal grudges. Hardik may realise that winning back the fans’ trust mostly depends on his consistent results, even in spite of his brave effort with a 21-ball 34 that regrettably couldn’t save MI’s performance on the day. After three straight losses for MI, the new captain needs to guide the team both on and off the field to stop the losing streak.
