Mumbai Indians spinner Piyush Chawla defended Hardik Pandya from all the booing he has been receiving from the crowd.
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Why is the crowd booing Pandya?
Pandya, 30, took over the MI captaincy from Rohit Sharma this season upon his return from Gujarat Titans.
The change of leadership was not received well by the fans.
Despite the backlash, Chawla said Pandya remains unfazed by the loud jeers at Ahmedabad and Hyderabad in the ongoing IPL.
“Well, that you can’t really help because, you know, they are a crowd. Whatever they are doing is beyond our control, so we can’t really say what they are doing,” Chawla said.
“The way Hardik has taken it…he is just focusing on the game. He is not even worried about what the crowd is doing, and once we get a win under our belt, things will be totally different.”
Focus on cricket
Chawla also said the entire MI squad is more focused on their cricket than the fans’ reaction.
“You get used to it. Because you know, whatever is happening, whatever people are doing in the crowd, you can’t really help it because it’s beyond our control.”
“We just have to focus on our game and whatever they are doing, let them do. We have to focus on our cricket,” Chawla said.
The Indians will play their first home game of the season on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium, and Chawla hopes that the home crow will support the team.
“At the end of the day, it’s about the team; it’s not about the individual. I am really hoping when the crowd comes in tomorrow, they will support the team after the kind of start we had,” the right-arm spinner said.
