Ravichandran Ashwin on Hardik Pandya booing : In IPL 2024, Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians faced defeat in the first two matches. During both the matches, Hardik had to face booing from the spectators in the field. He is also being trolled a lot on social media. MI had appointed Hardik as captain in place of Rohit Sharma before the 17th season. Many MI fans are unhappy with handing over the command to Hardik. Hardik captained Gujarat Titans for two seasons, but after getting the MI bow, he came under fire from fans. Now India's veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come forward in support of Hardik. He has lashed out at fans for their misbehavior.
“Have you seen this happening in any other country?”
Ashwin said on his YouTube channel, “Have you seen this happening in any other country? Have you seen Joe Root and Zak Crawley fans fighting? Or have you seen Joe Root and Jos Buttler fans fighting? this is madness. Have you seen Steve Smith and Pat Cummins fans fighting in Australia? I have said this many times. This is cricket. This is a cinema culture. I know there are things like marketing, positioning and branding. I don't deny it. I don't believe in all this from my side but there is nothing wrong in getting involved in it.”
“It must be remembered which country these players represent”
Ashwin further said, “Fan wars should never go down this useless path. It must be remembered which country these players represent – our country. So what is the justification for targeting a cricketer? I don't understand if you like any players. Why do this if a team doesn't provide an explanation and targets a player? We behave as if this never happened before. Sourav Ganguly played under Sachin Tendulkar and vice versa. Both have played under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid. All three have played under Anil Kumble and all of them have played under Dhoni. All three were great when they played under Dhoni. Dhoni has also played under the leadership of Virat.”
Ashwin advised fans to remain united
Ashwin advised fans to remain united and enjoy the game, saying, “Enjoy your favorite player's game, but that enjoyment should not come at the cost of insulting someone else. This is something I want to see disappear from my country.”