Hardik Pandya received major criticism from both home and away fans in IPL 2024. The reason? Mumbai Indians fans were not happy seeing Hardik take over the reins of the team from Rohit Sharma. As a result, Hardik were booed by fans far and wide. Jasprit Bumrah has come on to reveal how he and the team stood by Hardik. And lastly, how Hardik’s redemption arc was complete after India won the ICC T20 World Cup.
Not just home fans, Hardik Pandya was criticised by away fans as well. From a misfield to a out, Hardik was booed continuously on the field. Bumrah reveals that neither he nor the team promotes booing and how the inner circle of the team helped him. The ace India Cricket Team pacer revealed how the team stood beside him during the tough times in IPL 2024.
Team Stands beside Hardik Pandya
“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,” Jasprit Bumrah told the Indian Express.
Bumrah revealed that the booing of Pandya was unwarranted. However, since India is country that is driven by the emotion of the fans, things were beyond their control. However, the narrative changed after India won the ICC T20 World Cup where Hardik Pandya played a crucial role.
“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?,” Bumrah concluded.