Former India cricketer and ex-Indian team coach, Ravi Shastri lashed out at fans for booing and disrespecting Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya. Shastri came to Hardik's defence and urged fans to stay 'calm' and not forget that the star all-rounder is a 'human being'. Throughout the first three matches of Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 so far, Hardik has been targeted by fans across the three stadiums the franchise has played in.
"You have supported the team over the years. In just 2-3 matches, they won't be a bad team. They are 5-time champions, after all, they have a new captain. Just be patient, you know the bloke you're getting after is a human being like you. At the end of the day, he has to sleep in the night. So just think about it, be calm," Ravi Shastri told Star Sports ahead of the match between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants on April 2.
"My thing to Hardik would be 'calm, patient, ignore and then just focus on your game'. You get a couple of performances going..they are a terrific side, if they win 3-4 matches, everything will subside. You will, things will change," he added.
Ravi Shastri on captaincy transition
Furthermore, Shastri explained that the decision to remove Rohit Sharma from captaincy and give the reigns to Hardik was taken by the management. Shastri said that the owners are the bosses and they take the decision. However, Shastri also claimed that there could have been a better communication.
"See, at the end of the day, this is not an Indian cricket team that is playing. This is franchise cricket. They have paid top dollar, they are the bosses. It's their entitlement as to who they want as captain," Ravi Shastri said.
"Where I think this could have been handled better is more clarity in communication. If you wanted as captain, say you're looking at the future, looking to build, we are doing a fabulous job as every one knows and we want him to help out Hardik in the next 3 years when the team is in progress. That communication should have come out a little more for all this to die down. It's not a case of you saying 'we don't want Rohit Sharma', or he was treated badly," he added.
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