"One day you cheer for them, next day you boo them" - Sonu Sood backs Hardik Pandya as MI skipper faces fans' wrath
Bollywood actor Sonu Sood has come out in support of new Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya as the all-rounder faces the wrath of fans, having taken over as leader from Rohit Sharma. Sood said that players deserve respect and should not be booed, as they are 'heroes'.
Pandya has been subjected to brutal behavior from fans over the last few days. He was constantly booed during MI's IPL 2024 opener against his former franchise Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The unacceptable behavior continued during Mumbai's second match against SunRisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad as well.
Apart from being booed, Pandya has also been verbally abused by a section of the fans. In a shocking video, people were seen throwing sandals at a TV screen in which the MI captain was giving an interview.
Taking to his X handle on Saturday, March 30, Sood threw his weight behind the under-fire player and shared a message:
"We should respect our players. Players who made us proud, players who made our country proud. One day you cheer for them, next day you boo them. It’s not they, it’s us who fail.
"I love cricket. I love every cricketer who represents my country. Doesn’t matter which franchise he plays for. Doesn’t matter whether he’s plays as a Captain or he’s the 15th man in a team. They are our Heroes," Sood added and ended the post with an India flag emoji.
Pandya will next be seen in action in IPL 2024 when Mumbai Indians take on Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede in Mumbai on Monday, April 1.
Ravichandran Ashwin questions behavior of fans towards Hardik Pandya
Senior Team India off-spinner and Rajasthan Royals player Ravichandran Ashwin has also backed Pandya amid the ongoing controversy and has hit out at fans over their ugly behavior.
On his YouTube channel, Ashwin said that whatever the reason, booing a player is wrong.
“Have you seen this happen in any other country? Have you seen Joe Root and Zak Crawley fans fight? Or have you seen Joe Root and Jos Buttler fans fight? It’s crazy. Have you seen Steve Smith and Pat Cummins fans fight in Australia?” he commented.
“Fan wars should never go in this ugly a route. One should remember which country these players represent - our country. So then what warrants a cricketer getting booed? I don’t understand," Ashwin added.
Under Pandya, Mumbai Indians went down to Gujarat Titans by six runs in their first IPL 2024 game and to SunRisers Hyderabad by 31 runs in their second clash.