Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting star Virat Kohli jumped to Hardik Pandya's support at the Wankhede Stadium's crowd as he asked them not to boo the Mumbai Indians captain. A video went viral on social media of the 35-year-old reportedly urging the spectators to instead encourage the all-rounder as much as possible.
The Baroda-born cricketer has been subject to constant boos since replacing Rohit Sharma as captain of the franchise. Pandya has been copping boos since the first match of IPL 2024 as the spectators have booed him across venues, more so at the Wankhede. During the toss at the venue vs Rajasthan Royals, Sanjay Manjrekar was forced to ask the spectators to 'behave'.
In the video, Virat Kohli can be seen fielding near the boundary line. As soon as Hardik Pandya gets on field to bat, the crowd can be heard booing the MI skipper. Kohli immediately reacted to the crowd's chants, with asking them not to boo Pandya. He can be seen visibly disappointed by the crowd's actions, yet continued to request them to stop booing the all-rounder who just came to bat in.
Mumbai Indians Secures Second Victory In This Season
Later in the match, Pandya's quick 21 runs out of just 6 balls helped the Mumbai Indians comfortably mark their second win in this year's edition of the TATA IPL. Mumbai Indians scored 199 runs in 15.3 overs sealing their victory by 7 wickets, against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Jasprit Bumrah earned the Player of the Match award for his outstanding figures of 4-0-21-5. It was also RCB's 5th defeat in 6 matches.
