Hardik has faced continuous backlash from the spectators during the ongoing Indian Premier League with fans seemingly upset over him replacing Rohit as Mumbai Indians skipper. The all-rounder has been booed in each of the three cities he has played in thus far – Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Mumbai, forcing former India and Mumbai stalwart Sanjay Manjrekar to ask the crowd to “behave” at the toss ahead of the game against Rajasthan.

His words fell on deaf ears and the jeering was rampant throughout the game, with the boos growing louder each time Hardik fielded a ball or was shown on the big screen. The heightened reaction led to Rohit requesting the supporters stop going after Hardik.

Rohit was fielding near the boundary and was seen joining his hands before seemingly gesturing to stop the boos towards his new skipper.

This is not the first time an Indian player has requested fans to not go after a fellow cricketer. In 2019, during the India-Australia World Cup match, the Indian fans were jeering at Steve Smith for his involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering saga. Virat Kohli, who was batting at the time, walked towards the fans and suggested they applaud Smith instead. It was a gesture that won him the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award.

Last year, again during the World Cup, Kohli asked the fans in Delhi to stop booing Naveen-ul-Haq, a player he was previously involved in a war of words with.

Watch Rohit Sharma seemingly ask fans to stop booing Hardik Pandya at Wankhede here:

Rohit Sharma saying crowd not to boo Hardik Pandya. #MIvsRR #RRvsMI pic.twitter.com/Qcf2wvplb5

— Vishveshver Singh Sai (@Vishveshver45) April 1, 2024