Veteran commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has broken silence on an incident from IPL 2024 where he told Wankhede crowds to ‘behave’ when they booed Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya. Hardik, after going through a form slump in IPL 2024, found his mojo back in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Hardik's recent heroics came against Afghanistan in India's T20 World Cup Super 8 clash on June 20. Facing a challenging situation at 90-4, Pandya steadied the innings with a vital 32-run knock off just 24 balls. His innings included three boundaries and two towering sixes, exactly the kind of power hitting India needed. He formed a crucial 60-run partnership with Suryakumar Yadav in just 37 balls, putting India in a comfortable position. Pandya even chipped in with two economical overs with the ball.
Sanjay Manjrekar on Hardik Pandya's booing episode
Following the match, Sanjay Manjrekar was effusive in his praise for Hardik's brilliant display under pressure. He pointed out Pandya's reputation as a big-game player who thrives when representing India.
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"It's always been there. He had a rough time in the IPL. The external factors had a lot to do with it. It's a game of confidence and maybe somewhere, he wasn't in the right state of mind. Playing for India is completely different, the ambience completely changes. He has always been the big stage player. I've had a lot of respect for him. He is showing that with ball and bat," Manjrekar stated.
Manjrekar's praise for Pandya wasn't just based on this recent T20 World Cup performance. He also recalled about an earlier incident from IPL 2024, where he came to Pandya's defence. During a toss, the Wankhede crowd was expressing their disapproval of Pandya by booing him. Witnessing this disrespect towards the Mumbai Indians captain, Manjrekar couldn't stay silent. He publicly called on the crowd to ‘behave’ and show proper respect for their team leader.
"In fact, I tried my best to protect the champion player, trying to mute the world with the kind of noise they were making against him. So I believe he is a champion player and he shows his true worth when it matters," Manjrekar said.
Hardik Pandya's tenure as Mumbai Indians captain in IPL 2024 was a rough one. Fans were unhappy with Rohit Sharma being replaced, and the team's overall performance suffered. Pandya himself didn't have a stellar season, and Mumbai Indians finished last in the standings.
Despite questions about his form coming into the tournament, Hardik Pandya has silenced the doubters with his all-round performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 so far. He's been a key contributor in India's victories during the group stage, taking 7 wickets at an impressive average of just 11.14. While he didn't get to bowl his full quota of overs against Afghanistan in the Super 8 match, he impressed with the bat. India put up a strong total of 181 runs on the board, thanks in part to Suryakumar Yadav's blazing knock of 53 runs off just 28 balls. This proved too much for Afghanistan, who were dismissed for just 134 runs. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh were the bowling stars for India, picking up three wickets each.
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