This was Rohit Sharma territory. A Mumbai star. A Mumbai Indians legend. And if you had any doubts, then the giant-sized cutouts that greet you as you enter the Wankhede stadium would have erased them. It was the Mumbai Indians’ first match at home in the 2024 season and the franchise was nervous – what will the reaction of the home crowd be towards new captain Hardik Pandya?
Will they be kinder than the spectators in the first two matches? Will they give Hardik a chance? Or will they give him the North Stand treatment? Will the home fans support their skipper?
Hardik’s return to MI and his elevation as captain over their five-time title winning skipper Rohit hasn’t gone down well with the fans. The poor start hasn’t helped matters either. And even before the game started, it was clear where the crowds allegiance lay.
When Hardik walked out for the toss, he was greeted by chants of ‘Rohit, Rohit’. The presenter, former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar, tried to offer Hardik a helping hand, asking the the crowd to give a “big round of applause to Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya.” They responded with a chorus of boos. And all Manjrekar could say was, “behave”.
Hardik put up a brave face but it could not have been easy. He kept smiling and saying the right things. “This franchise holds a lot of value and a lot of love from the fans,” he said at the toss, when asked about playing his 250th match for MI.
The crowd wasn’t interested though. Over the years, cricket fans at Wankhede have been known to give superstars a tough time. Even Sachin Tendulkar wasn’t spared when he was booed in a Test match against England during the 2005-06 season. That was a reaction to his rare poor run of scores.
After that, call it the IPL effect; crowds have directed their anger on several star players of visiting sides. Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli was booed here in 2013 when he ran out MI’s Ambati Rayudu in controversial circumstances. India’s current Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, a former Mumbai Ranji trophy captain, experienced jeering when he came here wearing the Kolkata Knight Riders jersey.
A lot of the blue jerseys inside the stadium were fans wearing Rohit No 45. But that may have had more to do with the counterfeit merchandising culture in Indian stadia. The only place you could find Hardik’s No.33 jerseys was at the official MI stores inside the stadium. Few chose to pay and purchase.
It was expected and a reconciliation will take some time, for Hardik will have to rekindle the bond he once shared with these fans. Rohit, the crowd’s darling, with his enhanced stature as India captain was given a loud reception as he walked out to bat. But it proved to be anti-climactic as he fell to Trent Boult’s left-arm pace ace, first ball. The crowd was silenced. MI kept losing wickets. In no time, they were 20/4.
Out came Hardik; until then, the day’s anti-hero. As he began a brief counter-attack, looking to take on Nandre Burger, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal. The crowd was restive, confused about how they should react. But with every Hardik boundary, the crowd’s voice of support grew. The plain clothes policemen in some of the stands didn’t have to be called into action.
Later in the game, Rohit was seen asking the crowd to calm down; to not boo Hardik. But it will take more than that. Perhaps, the crowd’s heckling is not personal. Hardik’s 21-ball 34 couldn’t rescue MI’s sinking ship on the day. But he would have realised, one way he can win the fans back is by the sheer dint of his performances. MI has suffered three losses on the trot and to arrest the slide, the new skipper will have to lead the way, in more ways than one.
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