Brian Lara’s Banter with Hardik Pandya: In a match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Hardik Pandya faced relentless booing from the crowd during his much-anticipated return to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
With Pandya’s leadership, Gujarat Titans won the IPL in 2022 and reached the finals in 2023. As a result of the IPL 2024 auctions, he was traded to Mumbai Indians and given the captaincy role. As soon as he stepped onto the field for the toss, the boos were evident.
Kevin Pietersen expressed surprise at the hostile reception, given Pandya is an Indian cricketer. “I have never seen any Indian player getting booed like they are booing Hardik Pandya here in Ahmedabad. This is a rare happening,” he said on air.
Ian Bishop can win them back by:
While Brian Lara provided some light-hearted relief in the commentary box, the booing continued throughout the match.
“Play for India….the next time they play here,” he said, leaving Ian Bishop and Pietersen in splits. Even Bishop opened up about the incident and said, “What can he do to win them back?”
On the field, Pandya’s Mumbai Indians fell short by six runs in their pursuit to chase down a target of 169. In the match, Gujarat scored 168/6, led by Sai Sudharsan’s 45 off 39 balls. Dewald Brevis made 46, while Jasprit Bumrah bowled 314 for Mumbai.
During the toss Pandya said, “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.”
In their next game, MI will face Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 27, while Shubman Gill’s side will face Chennai Super Kings on March 26.
