Mumbai Indians’ fans have been airing their disappointment with Hardik Pandya, particularly since he assumed the role of captain for the team.
As the 2024 Indian Premier League hits its halfway mark, one of the biggest stories of the season revolves around Hardik Pandya taking over as the captain of the Mumbai Indians, replacing the seasoned Rohit Sharma. Pandya rejoined MI last November and was handed the captaincy a month later, sparking significant controversy. Many fans were unhappy with the decision to replace the five-time champion Rohit.
The discontent towards Pandya was palpable from the beginning of the season, with fans expressing their disapproval wherever he played, including MI’s home ground, Wankhede Stadium.
Cricket pundits like former Indian fast bowler Irfan Pathan and the legendary Sunil Gavaskar have criticized Pandya’s decision-making during matches. However, there’s been a notable voice of support from another former Indian cricketer, Robin Uthappa, who was a member of the victorious 2007 T20 World Cup squad.
Uthappa, in his recent appearance on the BeerBiceps YouTube channel, discussed the current predicament of Hardik at MI.
“He has the calibre to be an all-time great for 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,” Uthappa said.
“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.”
Uthappa also brought up the instance of how Indian fans poured out their love for the national team following its devastating loss in the World Cup final. He encouraged fans to extend the same warmth and support to Hardik Pandya as well.
“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 to 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,” said Uthappa.
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