‘Nobody knows…’: Australia great once dubbed ‘The Liar’ opens up about cricket news to Hardik Pandya

Australia’s star batsman Steve Smith has advised Hardik Pandya to “block out” the constant jeers and boos the new Mumbai Indians skipper has received from the crowd so far in the IPL, Because they are “all irrelevant.” Hardik took over as captain from five-time Indian Cricket League champion Rohit Sharma this season, but his captaincy got off to a dismal start as MI lost two games in a row.

Apart from the two defeats, the former Gujarat Titans captain was also booed by fans in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad (where MI’s first two games were hosted) for their apparent distaste for Rohi Unsatisfied with the manner in which Te was relieved of his duties as captain.

“What I’m saying is, stop it, it’s all irrelevant,” Smith, who has been reviled by fans around the world for his role in the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering scandal, told ESPNcricinfo.

“No one outside knows what you are going through. No one in the dressing room (from outside).” Smith, who was called a “liar” by fans during the 2019 ODI World Cup in England, feels all this abuse is a sign of abuse for Hardik Big surprise because he got it from Indian fans at home.

“Personally, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t care. I don’t care,” Smith said. In 2018, he had to resign as captain of Rajasthan Royals following the ball-tampering scandal.

“You know it’s all white noise but players do hear things and everyone has the right to express their emotions and their reaction to those emotions.

“So does this affect him (Hardik)? Maybe. It’s possible. He may not have experienced this before in any industry.”

“So I think, especially in India, as a star Indian player, it’s natural to be in a position where some fans are booing you and that’s certainly something he’s not going to experience.”

Hardik led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their debut season in 2022 after being released by Mumbai Indians.

However, he returned to Mumbai Indians via a monetary deal in November last year and soon replaced Rohit as captain, which was not popular among Indian captain fans.

“Hardik is going through a challenging period, having lost the first two games of the IPL season. This is a big game for him,” Smith said. Smith succeeded MS Dhoni as captain of the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant team in 2017.

“He is taking over from Rohit Sharma, who is the most successful captain in IPL history (alongside Dhoni) with five titles, but It didn’t start well for him.”

MI next face Rajasthan Royals at home on April 1 and Smith is waiting to find out how Hardik will be received by the local fans at the Wankade Stadium.

“So he’s under a bit of pressure now and it will be interesting to see how the reception is in their first home game in Wankhede in a few days’ time.

“We heard some boos coming from the pitch, which… from my point of view, it’s disappointing. But I’d love to see how the reception is in Mumbai. We know what a big star Rohit is and also Knowing how much he was loved. Inside that stadium.”