Mumbai Indians star Hardik Pandya has faced criticism in his career due to his performances on and off the cricket field in the past but rarely has be faced such backlash from his own countrymen after his franchise's unpopular choice to replace Rohit Sharma with him as the captain.
Even before the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) began four days ago, Pandya had been at the receiving end of a media trial after the franchise shielded him from answering questions on the Rohit and the shock change in the team's captaincy.
Press Conference Controversy
Controversy erupted when journalists, including myself, were stopped from asking tough questions to Pandya and MI head coach Mark Boucher in their first press conference since the change in captaincy.
Weeks before that happened, fans were already angry at the franchise management for removing Rohit, who won 5 IPL titles as captain for the team. Pandya was single-handedly blamed for the change as fans were not ready to see Rohit take a back seat after bringing so much glory to Mumbai Indians.
Hostile Reception Against Gujarat Titans
But things took a turn for the worse when MI played their first match of IPL 2024 against Gujarat Titans, the same franchise he left to go back to Mumbai.
The 33-year-old all-rounder faced hostile treatment from GT fans who booed Pandya for leaving the franchise after just a couple of seasons.
Fans felt betrayed by the Baroda-born cricketer for leaving his own state team and going back to where he made a name for himself in Mumbai.
Booed, Called 'Chapri by Home Crowd
From being booed every time he came on the giant screen to calling him a "chapri", the treatment dished out to Pandya is something which is rarely scene in the sporting fraternity in India.
Rarely have we seen Indian cricket fans booing one of their own, just because he changed loyalties in a domestic franchise-based cricket league. That just shows the kind of passion and popularity the Indian Premier League enjoys here.
But there needs to be a line which the fans, critics and even the media needs to draw when criticising or going after their own player.
Parallels With European Football Culture
Calling him by names, comparing Pandya to the dog which interrupted play between GT and MI in Ahmedabad, questioning his loyalty, there is hardly any other humiliation left which the he hasn't suffered till now.
The current scenario in the IPL involving the Pandya controversy reminds me of the English Premier League and similar domestic football tournaments in Europe where violence, racist abuse and threats to a players and their families is very common.
Maintaining Dignity Amidst Criticism
But massive credit to Hardik Pandya for maintaining a dignified silence throughout all this and facing all the heat with a smile.
Even when I asked him about the alleged "captaincy clause", Pandya did not flinch or get irritated despite the MI PR team stopping me from completing my question. He simply kept smiling and waited for patiently for the next question.
I did not expect that the incident would flare up so much and lead to even more heat on Pandya, who was already facing backlash from fans.
How Hardik Pandya Can Win Back His Fans
But what I do realise after watching the GT vs MI clash that fans' memory is very short-lived.
The very people who are throwing brickbats at Pandya now will be the same ones who heap praises on him when he puts on the blue jersey and does something special for Team India in the T20 World Cup 2024, which will take place right after IPL 2024.
Lifting the IPL title on May 26 would also be the perfect way to silence everyone who have been questioning his intentions, loyalty and ability as a cricketer, human being and captain.
