Manoj Tiwary believes that when Hardik Pandya steps onto the field as the Mumbai Indians (MI) captain at the Wankhede Stadium, he might face the loudest boos from the crowd in Mumbai.
Mi will play their first home match in IPL 2024 against Rajasthan Royals on April 1.
Well, the former Indian batter expects the loudest boos from the fans at the Wankhede Stadium because MI decided to remove Rohit Sharma as captain and appoint Hardik instead. Rohit, along with MS Dhoni, is the IPL's joint-most successful captain, having won five titles each.
However, MI's performance under Rohit's captaincy was not up to par in the last three years. But still, many people were surprised when Rohit was replaced as captain, especially by Hardik, who was the captain of the Gujarat Titans in the previous edition.
Ever since MI announced their decision, social media has been buzzing with discussions, and even Hardik faced boos at his home ground in Ahmedabad during the MI vs. GT match. Hardik's debut as MI captain didn't go as planned, as they suffered a 6-run defeat against the GT.
Manoj Tiwary told PTI: “You have to see how he gets welcomed here in Mumbai because I think he is going to get booed a bit louder here...Because as a fan, a Mumbai fan, or a Rohit Sharma fan, nobody expected that captaincy would be given to Hardik. And despite Rohit giving five trophies to Mumbai Indians, he has to lose the captaincy.”
The former cricketer turned politician continued, “I don't know what are the reasons but I think it has not gone down well with the fans. And that is the reaction which you see on the field. Knowing him, whatever I have been observing of late through television, that despite getting booed, he kept his calm, he kept his nerve, which is the sign of a good temperament.”
The 38-year-old also advised Pandya to focus on his performance and give his best if he wants not to get booed by the fans during the ongoing IPL 2024.
He noted, “I believe even if he was not booed, he has to perform well to get into the Indian team to play the World Cup.”
Tiwary signed off by saying, “Because it is important for all the players to perform well and be fit as well to be available for selection. And him being the number one all-rounder...obviously, he has to be in form and to be in form he has to perform.”
(With PTI Inputs)
