From star player to struggling skipper
HYDERABAD FANS THROW CHAPPALS, SANDALS
It's just two games into the tournament but Hardik Pandya already seems to have loads to worry about in his second stint with Mumbai Indians, the leadership part not quite falling in place thus far.
The exuberant all-rounder, arguably one of the biggest match-winners in the current national set-up, has been, to put it mildly, struggling in the IPL despite being back in the team that shaped him, the one he considers his home.
It's been anything but homely ever since Pandya was named captain, replacing the much-loved Rohit Sharma.
The results have only made matters worse. Two matches, two losses, some baffling tactics,
Was his strike rate in the year 2019 when Mumbai Indians won the title third time
his own form not being the brightest spot and Pandya has his back against the wall within the first week of the tournament.
There is no imminent threat to the 30-year-old's captaincy as the MI owners, after bringing him on board in IPL's biggest one way transfer, would not want to take any decision in haste.
After all, MI have always been slow starters, who take a while to find their rhythm, and it would be a bit presumptive to dismiss Pandya this early in the tournament given that he is, after all, leading a five-time champion side.
But a team that is so desperate for success after three barren seasons perhaps cannot also look away from the fact that Pandya is making mistakes and he doesn't seem to have a sounding board for course correction.
The outrage against Hardik Pandya ever since he replaced Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain has only grown since the beginning of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and things have only gone from bad to worse for the team after two defeats in as many games.MI got crushed by Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium where Pandya was booed every time he was involved in the game. The all-rounder got a hostile reception from Indian cricket fans once again at the toss and throughout the 3.5-hour contest at Uppal. Even outside the venue, fans in Hyderabad were seen throwing slippers and shoes at Pandya when he came on TV at the post-match interview. A video is going viral which shows people throwing their footwear at the live cricket screen with Pandya on air. A bunch of guys first threw their slippers at the screen but then started chucking whatever they could find closeby at Pandya. The exact location of the incident remains unknown.
He had a solid one during his time as Gujarat Titans skipper when Ashish Nehra would always be in his ears.
"I didn't try to convince Hardik to stay back," Nehra had said with a dead pan expression in Ahmedabad in the pre-season press conference
when Shubman Gill formally took charge as captain.
Nehra is widely seen as the back-room strategist, the one who actually calls the shot through the captain.
He is often seen pacing along the boundary line like an overzealous football manager, trying to grab the attention of his captain and players, and shouting down instructions when he gets it.
"It was an open secret in Gujarat Titans camp that Ashu (that's how old teammates address Nehra) was the strategist and Hardik was the executor," a former India teammate, who has played with Nehra, tried to dissect one of the most interesting characters in Indian cricket.
"Hardik was good at implementing Ashu's vision. Ashu is more of a football manager in the garb of a cricket coach. He is constantly hovering around the boundary line with some advice. He believes, if a skipper is willing to commit, he can prepare the recipe for success.
So, leading Gujarat to the title was a relatively less complicated task for Pandya but MI is a different beast where there are multiple points of leadership.