In a heart-warming gesture, RCB’s batting stalwart, Virat Kohli, showed his support for Hardik Pandya at the Wankhede Stadium by asking the crowd not to boo the Mumbai Indians captain. A viral video on social media captured the 35-year-old reportedly urging spectators to cheer for the all-rounder instead.
Virat Kohli Requested The Crowd Not To Boo Hardik Pandya
Since taking over as captain of the franchise from Rohit Sharma, the Baroda-born cricketer has faced constant boos from the crowd. This trend started from the first match of IPL 2024 and has continued across various venues, particularly at the Wankhede Stadium. The situation escalated to the point where Sanjay Manjrekar had to intervene during the toss at the venue against Rajasthan Royals, urging the spectators to “behave.”
In the viral videos, Virat Kohli could be seen stationed near the boundary line when Hardik Pandya stepped onto the field to bat. As the Mumbai Indians skipper appeared, the crowd started booing him, however, Kohli was quick to react to the crowd booing the Indian all-rounder.
Kohli urged the crowd not to boo Hardik Pandya by reminding him that he is an Indian player. Despite his disappointment with the crowd’s behavior, Kohli persists in requesting them to refrain from booing the all-rounder, who has just entered the field to bat.
Watch the viral videos:
Virat Kohli telling crowd not to boo Hardik Pandya #RCBvsMIpic.twitter.com/Aa0yLVBrAn
— Sunil the Cricketer (@1sInto2s) April 11, 2024
Virat Kohli ask crowd to stop trolling Hardik Pandya 🫡pic.twitter.com/neXAkgSNyo
— R (@IMHimanshu_Raj) April 11, 2024
Here’s how fans cheered for Hardik after Kohli’s request:
The Wankhede crowds chanting for Hardik Pandya after Virat Kohli’s gesture at yesterday’s match.
– This is beautiful to see! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0olSWTE2Nv
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) April 12, 2024
Talking about the match, while chasing the target, Hardik Pandya’s fiery knock of 21 runs off just 6 balls contributed significantly to the Mumbai Indians’ comfortable win in the match against RCB. Mumbai Indians successfully chased down a total of 199 runs in 15.3 overs, registering a 7-wicket win over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Jasprit Bumrah was later on awarded the Player of the Match for his exceptional performance of 4 overs, conceding 21 runs and taking 5 wickets. This was RCB’s fifth defeat in six matches of the tournament.
