Ashwin supports Hardik Pandya Against Fan Booing: Senior India and Rajasthan Royals off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has stepped up in support of Hardik Pandya, the new Mumbai Indians captain, who has been getting targeted by fans on social media and in the stadiums.
Hardik leaving the Gujarat Titans to return to the Mumbai Indians and replacing Rohit Sharma as the skipper hasn’t sat down well with a large number of fans. There had been incessant trolling and abuse of Pandya on social media in the months leading up to the IPL 2024.
This took an ugly turn when he was venomously booed and name-called with casteist slurs by fans in the stands during Mumbai’s matches in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. An even stronger and more vicious attack on Pandya is expected at the Wankhede Stadium on April 1st by the MI fans.
Ashwin supports Hardik Pandya Against Fan Booing
Ashwin, who has spent a lot of time with Hardik Pandya in Team India’s dressing room, slammed the fans for the fan wars and reminded them that Pandya plays for India.
“What warrants a cricketer getting booed?” Ashwin supports Hardik Pandya
Speaking in his YouTube video, Ashwin said,
“Fan wars should never go in this ugly a route. One should remember which country these players represent- our country. So then what warrants a cricketer getting booed?
“I don’t understand. If you don’t like a player and boo a player, why should a team come out to issue a clarification?”
Ashwin also pointed to the past, when legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly, and Dravid played under other younger captains.
“We act like this has not happened before. Sourav Ganguly played under Sachin Tendulkar and vice versa. These two have both played under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy. These three have played under Anil Kumble and all of them have played under Dhoni,” Ashwin added.
The 37-year-old off-spinner reckons fans shouldn’t degrade other players to promote their favorite player.
“We need to get our act together. Heroes and hero-worships are great. But you don’t need to demean a player to make the other person look good. This is something I would like to see disappear from our country,” Ashwin asserted.
Hardik’s captaincy and individual performances have also come under scrutiny in the first two games. Hardik has conceded 76 runs in 7 overs, and he’s bizarrely not given the new ball to Jasprit Bumrah in both games. He failed to finish the chase against Gujarat and scored 24 (20) against SRH when MI were going after the target of 278.
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