Hardik Pandya played two seasons for Gujarat Titans, captaining them to an IPL title and runners-up. Now, the all-rounder has moved back to Mumbai Indians, becoming their new captain.
His first match as captain was at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the home stadium of Gujarat Titans. During the training sessions before the match, he was seen to be comfortable with his old teammates, but was now hated by the fans. When Hardik Pandya came for the toss, he was booed by the fans.
It further continued as Pandya prepared to bowl. Opening the bowling in his first match as MI captain, the fans continued booing him. Along with that, they started chanting the name of Pandya’s predecessor, Rohit Sharma, to mock the current MI captain.
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Bowling two overs in the powerplay, Pandya gave 20 runs. He finished the innings with 30 runs conceded in three overs.
Kevin Pietersen surprised by how much Hardik Pandya was booed
It is rare for Indian players to be booed and heckled in India, especially members of the Indian Cricket Team. So when Hardik Pandya was booed by the crowd, it left fans and pundits shocked. Former England star, Kevin Pietersen, exclaimed how surprised he was with Pandya being booed.
I have never seen any Indian player getting booed like they are booing Hardik Pandya here in Ahmedabad. This is a rare happening. Kevin Pietersen said on-air
Batting first, Gujarat Titans put up 168 runs. A brilliant bowling by Jasprit Bumrah, with the figures of 4/14, ensured his team chase a low total. GT started well in the 2nd innings, getting the wickets of Ishan Kishan and Naman Dhir in the powerplay. But Dewald Brevis and Sharma put up a great stand, edging MI close to a victory but lost by six runs.
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