Spoke to Hardik on fan boos, seems like he’s fine: Michael Clarke
Hardik Pandya has been constantly booed by fans during Mumbai Indians’ (MI) matches in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2024). The 30-year-old all-rounder, who was traded to MI from Gujarat Titans later replaced Rohit Sharma as captain. As a result, he has met with a huge backlash from fans since then and unfortunately, he did not impress as captain as Mumbai lost all three games they have played so far.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke recently opened up about his conversation with the versatile all-rounder. He labeled the MI captain as a confident person and instructed that he should guide his team to success as the fans always have high expectations of the team.
“It doesn’t help when your team is not performing. I spoke to Hardik Pandya when I got over here and he seems like he is going fine. He’s a really confident sort of a person. He won’t allow this to get to him but he does need to get this team winning games of cricket. Mumbai is such a good team and there’s always high expectations. The fans want them at the top of the tree, but at the moment they are at the bottom,” Clarke said to ESPNcricinfo.
What MI need to do is just get back on winning ways: Broad
Veteran England pacer Stuart Broad spoke about Hardik Pandya’s mindset as he believes he is capable of facing it. However, the 37-year-old stated that the only thing that concerns MI is their dismal performances thus far. He went on to say that the five-time champions are known for their strength and suggested backing themselves to win games.
“As a player it doesn’t bother you at all, to be honest. It’s part and parcel of international and top-flight sport. You don’t necessarily get that sort of environment and hostile feeling on your home ground. But I don’t think the atmosphere can affect you as a proven performer. You still need to go out and deliver your skill. Ultimately, Mumbai Indians is a winning franchise. It has got a winning mentality, and they’re not winning. That’s the most difficult thing they’re coping with at the moment. What they need to do is just get back on winning ways,” Broad said.
