 "Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya sets the field during a match against Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. AP")
Hardik Pandya has suffered a difficult time ever since returning to the Mumbai Indians (MI) and taking over as their skipper ahad of IPL 2024. The all-rounder has faced boos from fans in all the three matches MI have played so far, including a hostile reception from the fans at Wankhede Stadium, when MI took on Rajasthan Royals (RR) last week.
Sourav Ganguly, currently the Delhi Capitals’ Director of Cricket, has however backed Pandya and said that it’s wrong to boo Pandya.
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“I don’t think they should boo Hardik Pandya… The franchise has appointed him as captain,” said Ganguly at the pre-match press conference in Mumbai on Saturday. DC take on MI in an IPL league match at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
“This is what happens in sports when you captain the country or a state… If we see Rohit Sharma, he has a different class. His performance as a captain and player for the franchise and for India has been on a different level. It’s not Hardik’s fault that he has been appointed as captain,” added Ganguly.
Mumbai Indians, the five-time champions, lie rock-bottom of the points table with zero wins in as many matches. The defeats have come against Gujarat Titans (GT), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and more recently, the Rajasthan Royals (RR). MI, however, received a massive boost ahead of the game after their star man Suryakumar Yadav joined the squad ahead of the DC clash. SKY has not played competitive cricket since December last year, when he sustained an ankle injury during a T20I series against South Africa.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMeanwhile, Hardik Pandya has so far scored 69 runs from three matches and taken just one wicket this season.