Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary expects Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya to play his first home IPL match on April 1 would be booed “even louder” but he believes the flamboyant all-rounder has what it takes to handle the situation. Pandya, who took over from Rohit Sharma as MI captain before the start of the season, was greeted by fans in Ahmedabad on Sunday when the team took on his former team Gujarat Titans boos.
MI lost the match by six runs and will face Rajasthan Royals in their first home match at the Wankhede Stadium next Monday.
“… You have to look at how he was received in Mumbai because I think he would have been booed more here… because as a fan, a Mumbai fan or a Rohit Sharma fan, no one It was expected that the captain would be like this.’ It was given to Hardik,” Tiwari told PTI Videos in an interview.
“Despite bringing five trophies to Mumbai Indians, Rohit had to lose the captaincy. I don’t know what the reason was, but I think the fans were not happy with it. That’s how you play in the game See the reaction. “Field,” he explained.
However, Tiwari was impressed with the way Pandya handled the fan backlash.
“…Knowing him, no matter what I’ve observed on television recently, he remains calm and collected despite being booed, which is a sign of good temperament,” he said.
The 38-year-old West Bengal sports minister said Pandya must tune out the noise and focus on his performance so that he can be in good shape for the T20 World Cup in the Americas on June 1.
“I believe that even if he doesn’t get booed, he has to perform well to get into the Indian team for the World Cup. Because it is important for all players to perform well and be healthy to get selected.”
“He’s the No. 1 all-rounder…obviously he has to stay in form and to stay in form he has to perform well,” he said.
Tiwary, who has represented Delhi in the IPL, is keenly watching how his former team handles Rishabh Pant’s recovery from a life-threatening car accident in 2022.
He believes the big man will soon be back to his devastating best thanks to the team’s unwavering support.
“First of all, he will not be any burden. In fact, he will bring a more positive impact because as a player, he is one of the most talented cricketers in India and in fact in world cricket right now,” he pointed out.
“Obviously in the first game he didn’t show his fluid best, but that’s obvious because it’s not easy coming back from injury… but his intentions are good. A few more games Matches, he’ll get back into form.’ His element of being a match-winner,” Tiwari said.
Tiwari said the support of coach Ricky Ponting and mentor Sourav Ganguly was a key factor in Pant’s comeback.
“The team’s coach, Ricky Ponting, has brought him into the dugout since last year… If we all remember, Sourav Ganguly had said two months ago that he would be the captain.
“So when mentors and coaches want him in the team from the beginning, it means they don’t see him as a burden. Even if he doesn’t score, he’s still their captain, he’s their leader,” he explain.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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