Jasprit Bumrah Reveals Mumbai Indians Players Supported Hardik Pandya Despite Booing

Fans were unhappy with Pandya being appointed as MI's captain instead of veteran Rohit Sharma, leading to frequent mockery whenever the all-rounder came forward for the toss.

Both Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are expected to be crucial players for India in the upcoming Champions Trophy.

Source : PTI

Hardik Pandya's transfer from Gujarat Titans (GT) to Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season stirred a lot of controversy.

Fans were unhappy with Pandya being appointed as MI's captain instead of veteran Rohit Sharma, leading to frequent mockery whenever the all-rounder came forward for the toss or even while he was fielding near the boundary rope.

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At one point during the tournament, the trolling of Hardik Pandya by fans became so intense that former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar had to intervene and urge spectators at the Wankhede Stadium to 'exercise restraint.'

MI's legendary pacer Jasprit Bumrah recently shared his perspective on the situation. He emphasized that the Mumbai team remained steadfast in their support for Pandya during this challenging time.

Speaking to Indian Express, the veteran pacer remarked: "You have to take it on your chin. That’s where the inner circle comes in. We, as a team, don’t encourage that, we don’t promote that. We don’t think that’s warranted. We were with him (Hardik), talking to him, if he needed support. Certain things are beyond your control. If it happened, it happened. The narrative just changed, when we won the World Cup. This is part of the journey. It’s us against the world. We will try to give as much support as we can."

The Mumbai Indians pacer added that one must take things in stride and move on, as it is not possible to prevent everyone from expressing their opinions.

"We live in a country that’s driven by emotion. Fans get emotional and players are also emotional. It does affect that you’re an India player and sometimes your own fans are not speaking well of you. But it is the way it is. You’ve got to take it on your chin because how can you go out there and stop people?"

Both Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are expected to be crucial players for India in the upcoming Champions Trophy.