Former Pakistani cricketing legend Wasim Akram says fans have crossed the line this season when it comes to Hardik Pandya. Fans have continuously shown their disappointment at Hardik Pandya being the captain over Rohit Sharma this season. This decision by the Mumbai Indians management has not fared very well until now.
The first signs of booing occurred when Hardik Pandya was present during the toss time in the first match that Mumbai Indians played in. After that crowd continuously booed the all-rounder whenever he came out on the field to bat or bowl. Hardik Pandya has found it difficult on the field with both bat and bowl.
Earlier before the start of the season Hardik Pandya surprisingly left the Gujarat Titans where he had a successful two-year stint as a player and captain. Winning the IPL in his first season as captain and ending up runners-up in the second season losing to Chennai Super Kings in the finals.
Mumbai Indian’s decision to bring Hardik Pandya back as the captain of the franchise has angered many fans across the country. Rohit being the captain of the team India, was a shocking decision by the franchise. Mumbai Indian’s poor run of form has not helped Hardik Pandya to make the fans happy.
Hardik Pandya getting booed every time
Talking about fans booing Hardik Pandya in a show, he said :
“This is the problem in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. We never forget. We tell our kids that when Pandya’s kid is born, you have to remind him why he became captain 20 years ago. We don’t move on,”
“I think fans need to be a little calm. At the end of the day, he is your player. He plays for Mumbai Indians, and he is the one who can make you win. There is no point booing your own player. You can criticize a little bit, but move on,” Akram concluded.
He spoke about countries like Australia that they would have moved on within two days if they had lost the ICC Cricket World 2023 against India in Ahmedabad.
Franchise cricket can surprise you- Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram says how franchise cricket can surprise you as a fan and compares Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in their captaincy change decisions. He felt Mumbai Indians management could have waited for one more before making the change. He said :
“In franchise cricket, such things happen. Look at how CSK took the captaincy decision for the long run, and maybe, even they (MI) had the same idea. This was not a personal decision, but in my view, Rohit Sharma should have continued as captain for one more year. Perhaps, next year, Hardik Pandya could have been the captain,” Wasim Akram opined.
Mumbai Indians are currently eight on the points table with only three wins in the bag. Hardik Pandya and Co will have to go on a winning streak in order to qualify for the playoffs from here on.