Hardik Pandya returned to Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) as the captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI) against his former team Gujarat Titans (GT), in Ahmedabad where he was met with unexpected hostility as the cricketer faced a barrage of boos from the crowd during the coin toss ceremony.
After leading Gujarat Titans for two consecutive years, Hardik Pandya returned to Mumbai Indians, the team where his professional career began. However, in a surprising turn of events, MI made the unexpected decision to appoint Pandya as the captain for the 2024 IPL season, replacing Rohit Sharma.
During his first appearance back in Ahmedabad for MI’s season opener against GT, Pandya faced ahostile reception from the local crowd.
As he walked out for the toss alongside GT’s captain Shubman Gill, the crowd erupted in ‘Rohit..Rohit..Rohit’ chants to boo the MI skipper. Meanwhile, Pandya, very much aware of the crowd’s hostile reception, was left embarrassed and seemed visibly uncomfortable.
Despite the challenging atmosphere, Pandya remained focused on the task and chose to field first after winning the toss.
The sudden change in captaincy didn’t sit well with Indian cricket fans, particularly the supporters of MI.
Rohit Sharma, who led MI to five IPL titles, was replaced without much explanation, causing frustration among the fans.
Similarly, Pandya’s decision to leave GT and return to MI was met with criticism from Gujarat fans, who expressed their discontent during the match.
Overall, as the tournament gains momentum, Hardik Pandya is not expected to be received well by fans across the country. It would be interesting to see how he faces Mumbai fans, who are largely Rohit Sharma loyalists.
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