When Rohit Sharma and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar requested Mumbai crowd to stop booing Hardik Pandya
Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya continued to face booing from fans even as former skipper Rohit Sharma is yet to shine with the bat in IPL 2024. Crowd hostility persisted at Wankhede stadium on Monday towards Hardik Pandya as he stepped out for the toss in Mumbai Indians' IPL match against Rajasthan Royals, with fans booing the skipper while chants of 'Rohit… Rohit' echoed throughout stadium. The jeers continued as Pandya spoke after losing the toss, prompting presenter Sanjay Manjrekar to urge the crowd to «behave».
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, clad in his training attire, conversed with former teammate Harbhajan Singh, who was present on the field as a commentator. Later, a video surfaced showing Rohit seemingly appealing to the crowd to cease booing his successor.
However, Pandya temporarily managed to win over the crowd with his batting prowess, swiftly transforming the jeers into cheers with a flurry of boundaries during his brisk 21-ball 34. His entertaining innings lifted Mumbai Indians from a precarious 20/4 to 76/5 in the 10th over before his innings came to an end.
Despite Pandya's efforts, Mumbai Indians fell short, losing the match by six wickets after posting a modest total of 125/9.
The 29-year-old, who took over the captaincy from Rohit ahead of the tournament, has faced backlash from the crowd regarding the franchise's leadership decision in previous away games at Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
Pandya faced boos from sections of the crowd during his warm-up exercises and again when his name was
