Hardik Pandya is having a tough time while leading Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The all-rounder completed a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans (GT) to MI ahead of the IPL auction last December. Soon after the trade, he replaced five-time IPL winning skipper Rohit Sharma as the Mumbai captain.
Under Pandya’s captaincy, MI have lost their first three games in the IPL 2024 so far. Amid the losses, the captain is also facing the wrath of fans at different venues, including loud boos and ‘Rohit, Rohit’ chants.
On Monday (April 1), Hardik Pandya was booed by the Mumbai fans at the Wankhede Stadium as soon as his name was called out before the toss against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
The hostile crowd prompted commentator Sanjay Manjrekar, who was conducting the toss, to ask the fans to ‘behave.’
Meanwhile, former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has shared his two cents on the unhappy crowd and how Hardik can win them over.
Sidhu didn’t filter his words as he stated that ugly behaviour from the fans was directly related to MI removing Rohit from the leadership role.
Speaking on Star Sports, Sidhu said: “Nobody can digest that their hero, the India captain, is not the captain of the franchise. What wrong has he done?"
“There is nothing that succeeds like success. If Mumbai Indians had won the last two games, everyone would have been silent. I think he (Pandya) should focus on the team combination," he added.
“When you concede 277 runs (against Sunrisers Hyderabad), everyone screams that your bowling is not good enough. How could a team score 277 when it was unprecedented in the tournament? The other game (against Gujarat Titans) was a close one. They were defeated, not disgraced," he further remarked.
Sidhu advised Hardik to follow former CSK skipper MS Dhoni's footsteps in making minor adjustments to his playing XI.
"Look at what Dhoni does. When Devon Conway, who was the leading run-getter for him last season, got injured, he got in Rachin Ravindra, who is similar and somewhat better. He needs to find that kind of replacements or he will be exposed," he said.
Mumbai Indians will next face Delhi Capitals after an extended gap at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday (April 7).
