Hardik Pandya faced boos from Mumbai Indians fans as team’s new captain. But Ishan Kishan said Hardik stays unfazed by this jeering. As wicketkeeper-batter, Ishan said Hardik won’t get impacted by boos throughout IPL 2024.
The fans aren’t happy that Hardik replaced Rohit Sharma as MI captain. They’ve booed Hardik when he bats, bowls or fields. But Ishan feels the boos won’t affect Hardik’s mindset or performance.
However, addressing to media following Mumbai Indians’ victory against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Ishan Kishan had this to say regarding Hardik Pandya’s reaction to the boos:
“He loves challenges, he has been in this situation before and he is in that situation right now. He is not someone who will come out and talk about it and say let’s stop this or that. I know that in the coming games, he will do it with the bat and people will start loving him (again).”
Ishan Kishan
A peek of what Ishan said was visible on Thursday when the fans applauded Hardik Pandya on for his mammoth sixes. RCB star Virat Kohli was also spotted pushing the audience to support the MI skipper instead of booing him.
Ishan Kishan on his fabulous innings
Ishan Kishan produced a brilliant performance against RCB, scoring 69 off 34 balls to help Mumbai Indians establish a framework for a comfortable victory. He discussed how taking a sabbatical from competitive cricket helped him better understand his game and make the mental shift.
“Agar pehle ka Ishan Kishan hota to first over mein acchi bowling ho rahi hai to bhi vo leave nahi karta (The Ishan of old may not have left the deliveries upfront even if the bowlers were doing well). But I have learned the 20-over game is long enough to take your time, have self-belief and take the game forward.”
Ishan Kishan
Mumbai Indians achieved the 197-run target swiftly, finishing with 27 balls left. With seven wickets intact, they looked strong. Next up, they’ll host Chennai Super Kings on April 14, Sunday.