[Watch] Rohit Sharma asks crowd not to boo Hardik Pandya during MI vs RR IPL 2024 clash at Wankhede Stadium
Rohit Sharma was spotted asking fans to stop booing Hardik Pandya during the IPL 2024 clash between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Monday (April 1). It was the first home game for MI this season at the Wankhede Stadium.
The home team's fans vociferously expressed their displeasure over the team management's decision to replace Rohit Sharma with Hardik Pandya as captain. Right from the toss, Hardik was on the receiving end of boos from the crowd at the venue.
The crowd also did the same during the second innings when Rohit Sharma was fielding near the boundary. The former MI captain then requested them to stop booing with his hand gestures. A couple of X users gave a glimpse of it by sharing images on the social media platform.
You can watch the posts below:
RR beat MI clinically by 6 wickets to climb to the top position of the IPL 2024 points table
After being asked to bat first on a tricky surface, Mumbai Indians' top-order capitulated against Trent Boult's wonderful swing bowling spell with the new ball as Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir, and Dewald Brevis departed for golden ducks.
Hardik Pandya (34) and Tilak Varma (32) stabilized things with a 56-run partnership but could not convert their starts, which hurt MI's chances of scoring a big total. As a result, the hosts could only reach 125/9 in the first innings.
Akash Madhwal then picked up three wickets to give a ray of hope to Mumbai Indians in the second innings. However, Riyan Parag hit a magnificent half-century (54*) to complete the chase in the 16th over.
MI captain Hardik Pandya reflected on the loss after the match, saying in the post-match presentation:
"It was a tough night. We didn't start the way we wanted to start. A tough night. We were in a decent position to give us a chance to get to 150-160. My wicket turned it around. It should have done a lot better. It's good to have good bowlers."
Hardik continued:
"Don't mind playing on this wicket to be honest. I mean absolutely right. It's all about doing the right things. Sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't. As a group we believe we can pull off a lot of things if we perform better."
What changes should MI make to their playing XI to bag their first win in IPL 2024? Let us know in the comments section below.