'Ego bahut zyada ho gaya hai' - Netizens slam Hardik Pandya for hand gesture to send Rohit Sharma near boundary

Hardik Pandya irked Mumbai Indians supporters after asking the Indian captain to field outside the 30-yard circle in the last over of Mumbai Indians' clash against Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.

Mumbai Indians played their first match under the leadership of Hardik Pandya on March 24. The former IPL-winning captain replaced Rohit Sharma at the helm, a move that garnered sensational criticism. During the last over of the first innings, South African speedster Gerald Coetzee was discussing his bowling plans with Hardik. The Baroda all-rounder went on to change his field as he asked Rohit, who was positioned inside the circle, to field on the boundary line.

Fans are used to seeing the Indian captain fielding inside the circle. However, he had to jog his way to the boundary ropes. Once he stationed himself in the deep, an animated Hardik asked him to shift further to his right. The former Gujarat Titans captain wanted his field to be perfectly in place in the last over with Rashid Khan and Vijay Shankar at the crease.

While it is natural for captains to change their fields, emotional Rohit fans took it to heart and they criticised Hardik for his actions. The 30-year-old was also booed by the fans present at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and it caught the attention of the commentators as well. Kevin Pietersen said on air that he hadn't seen any Indian player getting booed like that.

Also Read: IPL 2024: Crowd chants 'Hardik, Hardik' as dog enters ground; video goes viral

Gujarat Titans win a thriller in Ahmedabad

Hardik's first match as captain against his former side wasn't a memorable affair as his team lost by six runs. Chasing a target of 169, Dewald Brevis and Rohit formed a 77-run partnership off 55 balls and put the five-time champions in a position of strength.

However, from 142/4 in the 18th over, the visitors finished on 162/9 as Gujarat's death bowlers held their nerves under pressure. Hardik came out to bat at No. 7 and was on strike in the last over as Mumbai needed 19 for a win. After hitting a six and a four off the first two deliveries from Umesh Yadav, Hardik holed out to long on to all but end Mumbai's hopes. Piyush Chawla departed off the following delivery and only two singles came off the last couple of deliveries.

After the defeat, Hardik received criticism for opening the bowling ahead of Jasprit Bumrah and pushing himself down to No. 7 in the batting order.

Also Read: 'Maybe he didn't want to face Rashid Khan' - Irfan Pathan not impressed with Hardik Pandya's calls against Gujarat Titans

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