KKR vs MI: Rohit Sharma blamed for Hardik Pandya's booing in 8 IPL matches as Aaron Finch drops bombshell

Former Australian opener Aaron Finch made interesting remarks about Mumbai Indians (MI) opener Rohit Sharma amid criticism over Hardik Pandya. Aaron Finch said that Rohit Sharma could have prevented the heavy booing faced by Hardik Pandya earlier in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Rohit Sharma was replaced by Hardik Pandya as the Mumbai Indians captain ahead of the IPL 2024 season. Rohit led the franchise from 2013 to 2023 and guided the team to five titles as captain. The veteran opener last led the team to a title victory during the 2020 season of the tournament.

Hardik Pandya has faced criticism from fans during the team's opening three matches of the IPL 2024 season. The star all-rounder received boos from fans across the stadiums. To make matters worse, the Mumbai-based team became the first team to be knocked out of the ongoing tournament.

Would Have Loved Seeing Rohit Sharma Come Out - Aaron Finch

Speaking on the Around the Wicket Podcast, Aaron Finch stated that Rohit Sharma could have prevented the heavy booing faced by Hardik Pandya by publicly supporting him. Finch emphasized that a statement from Rohit could have changed the public sentiment towards Hardik.

"Just the one thing that I would have loved to have seen from Rohit throughout the IPL campaign is to make some kind of public statement because the resentment towards Hardik from the public has been unbelievable – getting booed. So I would have loved seeing Rohit come out and say something publicly. Say 'No, this is part of the plan for Mumbai Indians, and Hardik's got my full support. Just think that would have put things to be a lot more quickly," said Finch.

"And it's changed to cheers when he walks out since the World Cup squad has been announced. But for eight games, Hardik was getting booed during a Mumbai Indians game," he added.

The five-time IPL champions are currently in ninth place in the points table, having won only four out of 12 matches. Hardik Pandya hasn't lived up to expectations, scoring 198 runs at an average of 19.80 and a strike rate of 147.76. He has secured 11 wickets at an economy rate of 10.58.

Mera Toh Last Hai - Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma was spotted having a serious conversation with Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. The interaction was captured on video by KKR's social media team but was later deleted. In the discussion, Rohit hinted that it might be his final season with MI.

“Ek ek cheez change ho raha hai... (Everything is changing one by one). Woh unke upar hai, main ye sab pe dhyaan nahi data... (It depends on them, I don't care about that)," Rohit said.

“Jo bhi hai woh mera ghar hai bhai, woh temple jo hai na maine banwaya hai. (Whatever it is, it's my home. It's a temple that I've built). Bhai mera kya, mera toh last hai (Anyway, this is my last),” he added.

The Hardik Pandya-led team will lock horns with the Kolkata Knight Riders in their penultimate match of the season at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, May 11.

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