How did Hardik Pandya react to the Ahmedabad crowd after MI's IPL 2024 opener against GT?

Hardik Pandya-led MI faced a 6-run defeat at the hands of hosts GT.

Mumbai Indians (MI) played their first game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium against the Gujarat Titans (GT), and the contest was really exciting. The story that developed and the clash of emotions were more important than the cricket itself in creating a buzz around this match. When Hardik Pandya, the former GT captain, took the helm for MI, the once-famous squad led by Rohit Sharma found itself in uncharted waters.

Many MI fans were unhappy with the choice to choose Hardik Pandya over Rohit Sharma, who was the most successful captain in IPL history, with MS Dhoni. As a slight against the renowned Rohit Sharma, fans were outraged and voiced their disapproval. Meanwhile, GT’s fans reacted to the betrayal by Pandya. Tension was intensifying in the air as GT supporters showed their disapproval by booing Pandya at his announcement.

But what happened on the pitch was the true drama. Fans even trolled Hardik with chants of ‘Rohit, Rohit.’ When a dog got into the field, the Ahmedabad crowd trolled Hardik with chants of ‘Pandya, Pandya’ at that moment. It was a very tough situation for Hardik, receiving abuse and insults from the crowd.

Hardik Pandya received boos and abuses in Ahmedabad

In their 20 overs, GT scored 168 runs, which was competitive and set the scenario for an exciting chase. However, it was never going to be enough due to the dew. Needing 48 runs off of 36 balls and seven wickets in hand, MI seemed to be coasting towards victory. However, cricket, as the saying goes, is a game of delightful unpredictability. After that, MI’s collapse was massive, as they lost six wickets and even played 11 dot balls.

GT’s triumph was the result of a team effort. Crucial contributions from bowlers such as Sai Kishore, Rashid, Spencer Johnson, Mohit Sharma, and Umesh Yadav left MI perplexed and thinking about where they went wrong. This triumph was very meaningful for GT. It was a chance for atonement after the previous IPL final’s tragedy and the controversy surrounding Pandya’s comeback. In contrast, Pandya and MI found it difficult to accept.

At the post-match presentation, Hardik Pandya indirectly talked about the atmosphere and revealed that he felt good to be back in Ahmedabad. He in fact went ahead to praise the crowd despite the abuse and boos that he received. 

Pandya said: “Obviously we backed ourselves to chase those 42 runs but it was one of those days when we see the score quite less compared to what it could have been in five overs, I think we lost little bit of momentum there. It feels good to be back because this is one stadium where you can enjoy and feel the atmosphere quite lively and obviously the crowd was full and they got a good game as well. (On Tilak not taking the single vs Rashid) I think Tilak felt that that was a better idea at that point of time, I completely back him, not an issue, 13 games to go.”

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