Rohit Sharma or MI owners? Sourav Ganguly reveals who's the reason behind Hardik Pandya being booed
Published - 06 Apr 2024, 05:21 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:10 AM
Delhi's Director of Cricket, Sourav Ganguly, tackled the contentious issue of Hardik Pandya's captaincy in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Sourav Ganguly urged fans to refrain from booing Hardik Pandya, emphasizing the importance of supporting him rather than criticizing him.
Hardik Pandya assumed captaincy for the Mumbai Indians ahead of the start of the season. Pandya succeeded Rohit Sharma, who led the team to five titles. However, instead of support, Pandya has faced criticism from fans in the form of boos across the venues during the season.
To make matters worse, the Mumbai-based franchise has faced defeats in all three matches thus far. Their most recent loss came against the Rajasthan Royals at home. Currently, they occupy the bottom position in the league standings, being the only team yet to secure a win.
Hardik Pandya has displayed inconsistent performance, managing only 69 runs at an average of 23 and a strike rate of 153.33. His bowling figures have been lackluster, conceding 76 runs with just one wicket at an economy rate of almost 11. Additionally, his captaincy decisions have failed to impress.
Fans Should Not Boo Hardik Pandya; the franchisee has appointed him as captain - Sourav Ganguly
In a pre-match press conference, Sourav Ganguly attributed Hardik Pandya's captaincy role to decisions made by the franchise owners. Ganguly emphasized that while Hardik's appointment as captain wasn't his fault, he should be supported despite the team's challenges.
"I don't think they should boo Hardik Pandya. It's not correct," Ganguly told the media during Delhi Capitals’ training session at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.
"It's not correct. The franchisee has appointed him as captain. That's what happens in sport. Whether you captain India or you captain a state or whether you captain your franchise, you are appointed as captain.
"He's (been) appointed captain. Obviously, with Rohit Sharma he's a different class. His performance for this franchise, his performance for India has been at a different level as captain and as a player," the Director of Cricket for Delhi Capitals said.
"But then it's not Hardik's fault that he's been appointed as captain. All of us need to understand that," he added.
Rohit Sharma's performance in IPL 2024 has been subpar, scoring only 69 runs across three innings with an average of 23 and a strike rate of 164.29. Despite a promising start with 43 runs off 29 balls in the opening match against the Gujarat Titans, he struggled with scores of 26 and 0 in subsequent games.
The Delhi Capitals have won only one of their four matches in the IPL 2024, despite Rishabh Pant's strong performance. The team will play next against the Mumbai Indians, who have also struggled, with only one win in their three matches so far in the season.
