Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary expects Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya to be booed a “little louder” when the team plays its first IPL home match here on April 1, but he believes the flamboyant all-rounder will has the temperament to deal with it. Pandya, who replaced Rohit Sharma as MI captain before the start of the season, was booed by fans in Ahmedabad when the team played his former franchise Gujarat Titans on Sunday.
MI lost the match by six points and will take on Rajasthan Royals in their first home match at the Wankhede Stadium next Monday.
“…you have to see how he is welcomed here in Mumbai because I think he will be booed a little louder here… Because no one as a fan, Mumbai fan or Rohit Sharma fan expected the captaincy to be like this given to Hardik,” Tiwary told PTI Videos in an interview.
“And even though Rohit has given five trophies to Mumbai Indians, he has to lose the captaincy. I don’t know what the reasons are, but I think it hasn’t gone down well with the fans. And that’s the reaction you see on the field,” he explained.
However, Tiwary is impressed with the way Pandya is handling fans’ reactions.
“… I knew him, what I have seen lately through television, that despite being booed, he remained calm and nervous, which is a sign of a good temperament,” he said.
The 38-year-old West Bengal Sports Minister said Pandya will have to ditch the noise and focus on his performance so that he is in good shape for the T20 World Cup starting June 1 in America.
“I believe that even if he is not booed, he has to perform well to get into the Indian team to play the World Cup. Because it is important that all players perform well and are also fit to be available for selection. “
“And because he is the number one all-rounder, obviously he has to be in good form and in form he has to perform,” he said.
Tiwary competed for the Delhi franchise in the IPL and he is keenly observing how his former team is handling Rishabh Pant’s comeback from a life-threatening car accident in 2022.
He believes the big hitter would soon be back to his devastating levels thanks to the franchise’s unwavering support.
“First of all, he won’t be any burden. In fact, it will be a more positive impact that he brings because as a player he is one of the most talented cricketers in India, in fact, in the world right now,” he noted .
“Obviously he didn’t look his best in the first game, but that’s clear because it’s not easy after coming back from injury… But the intention was good from him. With a few more games he’ll be back.” are elements of being a match winner,” said Tiwary.
Tiwary said the support of coach Ricky Ponting and mentor Sourav Ganguly has been a key factor in Pant’s comeback.
“From last year itself, the team’s coach Ricky Ponting used to bring him to the dugout… if we all remember, Sourav Ganguly said two months ago that he would be made the captain.
“So if the mentor and the coach want him in the team very early on, that means they don’t see him as a burden. Even if he doesn’t score points, he’s still their captain, he’s their leader,” he says . said.
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