Hardik Pandya’s captaincy stint for Mumbai Indians (MI) hasn’t got off to the best of starts. The all-rounder completed a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans (GT) to MI ahead of IPL 2024 and replaced Rohit Sharma as skipper.
Under his leadership, the five-time champions have lost four of their seven games so far and they are placed in the bottom half of the 10-team points table.
Moreover, Hardik is also facing the crowd backlash at different venues, including loud boos and ‘Rohit, Rohit’ chants.
Meanwhile, former India opener Robin Uthappa recently made a big statement on Hardik Pandya, saying that the booing has resulted in 'mental health issues' for the all-rounder.
Uthappa also extended his support to Hardik's side and said that the treatment he has been receiving from fans has been unfair.
"He is a guy who has got the calibre and potential to be an all-time great for the Indian team. He was let go by the team which discovered him, he went to another franchise. After winning 3-4 titles with them, he left. He must have felt a little bad; that will be there. He went to GT, won a title and finished runners-up in another. Then the conversation began," Uthappa said on The Ranveer Show on YouTube.
"The mocking, trolling, the memes about his fitness. You don't think it hurts him? It hurts him. It hurts any human being. How many people actually know the reality of it? Hardik is dealing with mental health issues, for sure. We, as people, I understand, as Indians, we are emotional. But it is not right to impose this kind of treatment on any human being. It is unbecoming as a society for us to do that to someone and be okay with it. We should not be laughing along with it. We should not be forwarding these memes.
"It's our job, yes it's passion too, but it's what puts the food on the table for me. My job is on display for you to criticise. A corporate person's job is not on television to criticise, or have an opinion about either. When that is the case, you have to exercise a certain amount of empathy and dignity to the other person to allow them to fail. One of the most beautiful things we did as a country is our expression of love, and our reaction to our Indian team after we lost the World Cup. That's how we should be as a society, and as Indians," he added.
In the first seven matches this season, Hardik Pandya has scored 141 runs at an average of 23.50. On the bowling front, the all-rounder has picked up a mere four wickets and leaked runs at an economy rate of 11 RPO.
