"I told them to behave because this is a big-stage player"- Sanjay Manjrekar recalls his 'behave' remark to Wankhede crowd on Hardik Pandya
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes he was right in telling the crowd at the Wankhede Stadium to behave and not boo all-rounder Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder played a stellar role in the Men in Blue's second T20 World Cup triumph by defeating South Africa in the final by seven runs.
A large section of the Mumbai Indians (MI) fans were disappointed to see Hardik Pandya take the captaincy reins from Rohit Sharma and they made their feelings clear by booing the former during the toss in MI's first home game of the season.
While Sanjay Manjrekar received a lot of flak for his 'behave' remark to the crowd, he felt Hardik Pandya's performances in the T20 World Cup justified his stance. Here's what he told ESPNCricinfo:
"What a turnaround for Hardik. In IPL, there were people jeering him and booing him and I told them to behave because this is a big-stage player. We have seen that umpteen times, wickets of Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and right at the end, Rabada, so he was a champion and no surprise, to see him flourish on the big stage."
Hardik bowled three overs in the final and conceded just 20 runs, picking up the wickets of Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Kagiso Rabada. He picked up a total of 11 wickets in the tournament and also contributed with a crucial 144 runs as a finisher.
Sanjay Manjrekar gave another proof of Hardik Pandya's big-match temperament
Sanjay Manjrekar recalled the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal when England beat India by 10 wickets. He highlighted how well Hardik had performed with the bat even when the Men in Blue were thrashed.
On this, he stated:
"Even in that semifinal against England, he came in and gave India some hope with 60 off 33. So that's what he is all about. You felt safe when he came to bowl in the last over, he was not going to lose his nerves, he was going to bowl sensibly."
Speaking to the host broadcaster after the final, Hardik Pandya broke down and opened up on his struggles over the past six months. He also talked about how he always wanted to remain strong and show no emotions.