The current Mumbai Indians captain, Hardik Pandya, has received criticism from both former players and the crowd. Hardik Pandya has continuously encountered criticism and trolling on social media, even inside the stadium, which has in some way impacted his mental health. Many are questioning his attitude toward the game, and some are even upset that he returned to the Mumbai Indians (MI) after leading the Gujarat Titans (GT) for 2 years.
These elements also had an impact on the team’s overall performance. MI lost the first three games handily, something that has not happened to them in a very long time. The crowd’s intentions were evident; they did not come to cheer for Hardik Pandya; instead, they wanted their local boy from Mumbai, Rohit Sharma, to continue leading the team.
Many former players have come out in favor of Hardik Pandya throughout this entire situation, while players who are on IPL teams have taken positions in his favor. One such player is Robin Uthappa, the former wicketkeeper-batsman, who has stood by Hardik Pandya and offered a reasonable point of view.
Robin Uthappa supports Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya and also advises the audience to look after players’ mental health.
Robin Uthappa was having an interaction with Jio Cinema. Robin Uthappa pointed out that Hardik Pandya is dealing with mental health issues. Robin Uthappa though pointed out that Hardik Pandya has the caliver to be an all time great for Indian cricket team. Robin Uthappa also made a statement on Hardik Pandya’s leadership skills.
“This guy knows… he’s well aware of the mocking, trolling, the memes about his fitness. You don’t think it hurts him? It hurts any human being. How many people know the reality of it? Hardik is dealing with mental health issues, for sure. We, as people, I understand 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 on it, should not be forwarding it,” said Robin Uthappa.
“He has the caliber to be an all-time great for the Indian team. He was let go by the team who 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,” he added.