Hardik Pandya has been under severe stress in the last few months or so. Ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, Mumbai Indians bought back Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans and even appointed him as the captain. They replace the five times IPL winning legendary captain and Indian captain Rohit Sharma. It attracted a huge controversy and there was a flurry of reactions from Rohit Sharma fans. Everyone felt that the Indian captain has been disrespected and started abusing the franchise along with Hardik Pandya on social media.
However, when the IPL 2024 started, reactions became more wild. Hardik Pandya was booed, abused and jeered with taunts in the first game in Ahmedabad. The reactions were no different in the second game in Hyderabad. Adding to that, Hardik Pandya failed to deliver with the bat in both the games. He has been receiving flack everywhere for whatever action he does. He is surely going to have a tough time in this IPL 2024. People can’t fathom that Rohit Sharma will be playing under Hardik Pandya’s captaincy in the IPL.
Steve Smith Supports Hardik Pandya Amidst The Abuses That He Is Receiving
Meanwhile, Steve Smith talked about the abuses and the reactions that Hardik Pandya is getting right now. Smith himself has received such reactions after the ‘Sandpaper gate’ incident in the Cape Town test in 2018. He advised Hardik Pandya to stay calm and not read into all off these. He also talked about how Hardik Pandya would not have ever imagined that he would be getting such a wild reception from the Indian fans.
Smith said: “I’d try and just say, to block it out, it’s all irrelevant. No one outside knows what you are going through. No one [from outside] is in that change room. Personally, for me, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t care. I don’t pay any attention. You know it’s all white noise, but certainly players do hear things and everyone’s entitled to their own emotions and how they respond to those. So is it affecting him [Hardik]? Maybe. It’s possible. He probably hasn’t experienced that before in, in any walk of life. So it’s natural, I suppose, and particularly being in India and a star Indian player, to be in that position where some fans are booing you, it’s certainly something he wouldn’t have experienced.”
