Virat Kohli is known for his aggressive style of play. He often celebrates a wicket more than the bowler and even gives send-offs to players after an altercation with them. However, Kohli is also known for standing up for players in front of a rowdy crowd. During the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2019, he stood up for Steve Smith. In the next ODI World Cup, he made up with Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq who faced criticism after his verbal spat during Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. In the ongoing IPL season, he asked the crowd to not boo new Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya.
The 30-year-old Hardik has been subjected to rowdy behaviour from the crowd since he took over captaincy from five-time IPL-winning captain Rohit Sharma. He was booed in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and even at MI’s homeground Wankhede Stadium. He got a reprieve during the fourth match as 18,000 kids were invited to watch the match.
The boos returned when MI took on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at home on April 11. When Hardik walked out to bat to bat in the 12th over after Rohit’s wicket, he was booed again. However, Kohli gestured to the crowd why are they booing their own player and asked them to appreciate him. After the former RCB skipper’s gesture, some fans starting chanting Hardik’s name as well.
Hardik contributes with cameo, MI win two in a row
Hardik hit a six off the first ball of his innings. He slogswept Will Jacks over wide long-on boundary for a maximum. In the 14th over bowled by Vijaykumar Vyshak, he smashed the ball for a six over long-on. Later, in the 16th over, he smashed another six to finish the game in style. He remained not out for 21 runs from six deliveries. Half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav helped MI chase down the target of 197 with seven wickets in hand and 27 balls to spare. This is their second win of the tournament.
Kohli falls to Bumrah
On the other hand, the Orange Cap holder Kohli struggled against MI's premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah. He scored just three runs from nine balls and departed in the third over. Skipper Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar and Dinesh Karthik's half-centuries helped RCB post 196/8 which wasn't enough to end their losing streak. This was their fifth loss from six games in the tournament. They are placed ninth on the points table, just above the bottom-placed Delhi Capitals (DC).
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