The first home game of the season is being played by the Mumbai Indians.
Recently, Hardik Pandya has become the buzz of the town for all the wrong reasons. Trolls and jeers have been directed at the new Mumbai Indians captain from all directions shortly after he succeeded longtime skipper Rohit Sharma in the captaincy role. The Mumbai captain faced a great deal of criticism from the crowd and on social media during the team’s first two road games.
During the Indian Premier League 2024, the five-time winners were playing their first home game at Mumbai’s legendary Wankhede Stadium. The Rajasthan Royals won the toss and decided to bat first. At the home arena, a sea of Rohit Sharma supporters heckled and booed the Baroda native. It’s interesting to note that when match presenter Sanjay Manjrekar requested the audience to behave, the footage quickly became popular on social media.
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“Everything is ready for the toss. Both of the captains are here with me: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. At the toss, Manjrekar said, “Behave.”
In addition, Sanju Samson, the captain of Rajasthan, called the toss accurately and elected to bat first, prompting the hosts to take a bowl. Regarding a change, Samson explained that Sandeep Sharma, the top bowler, will not participate in the match since he was not fully recovered for an excursion. On the other side, Uttarakhand pacer Akash Madhwal was brought in by the hosts Mumbai.
Watch: Rohit Sharma begs the Wankhede audience to refrain from jeering Hardik Pandya
Notably, it should be noted that the Wankhede supporters have a unique connection to Rohit, who captained the home team and guided them to an unprecedented five championships in 11 seasons. When questioned about leadership responsibilities in the Mumbai-based franchise, fans’ opinions on social media were varied. Although some supporters expressed confidence in Pandya’s potential as a long-term leader, others saw Rohit’s partiality as absurd and criticised the Nagpur native’s successor.
