In the IPL 2024 match between the Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Virat Kohli was not pleased with the Wankhede Stadium crowd’s jeering of Hardik Pandya when he came out to bat.
New Delhi: 12 April 2024
When Hardik Pandya stepped out to bat in Thursday’s IPL 2024 match between the Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the crowd at the Wankhede Stadium jeered him. Virat Kohli was not happy about it. Before the competition, the supporters did not approve of Hardik’s selection to lead the Mumbai Indians instead of Rohit Sharma, and some fans had even jeered Hardik after the team had lost three straight games.
Nevertheless, the crowd’s response did not impress Kohli, who motioned for them to cease being critical and instead encourage them to applaud the MI captain. Users praised him for his involvement as the gesture instantly went viral.
The first time Hardik bowled during the RCB innings, the fans jeered him, but the least amount of support was shown when he walked out to bat following Rohit’s removal. While the crowd enthusiastically applauded Rohit’s every shot, Hardik struggled to get the same level of support.
In a video that went viral on social media, Kohli was seen reminding the fans that Hardik is a member of the Indian cricket team and intervening quickly to stop the jeers.
The outcome was nearly immediate as the MI captain answered the cheers of “Hardik, Hardik” from a part of the crowd with a first-ball six off Will Jacks.
Mumbai Indians defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru handily thanks to outstanding batting performances from Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan as well as a five-wicket haul from Jasprit Bumrah.