Star Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah recently addressed the controversy surrounding Hardik Pandya's captaincy appointment for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, which resulted in Rohit Sharma being removed from the role.
Bumrah, a key player in the star-studded MI squad, was rumored to be disappointed with the decision. Alongside Hardik, Rohit, and Bumrah, India's current T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, is also part of the dressing room, which reportedly experienced division.
The choice to name Hardik as captain received significant backlash from fans, leading to widespread criticism of the star all-rounder across the country. This backlash was particularly evident during MI's home matches at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, where Hardik faced loud boos from the crowd in nearly every game.
In discussing the incident, Bumrah emphasized that while such occurrences are an inevitable part of a sportsperson's life, the team does not condone such behavior. They made every effort to support him to the fullest extent possible.
"Sometimes we understand, we live in a country where emotion is the talking point. We understand fans get emotional. Players are emotional. It does affect that you are an Indian player, but your own fans are not speaking well. But you have to take it on your chin. How can you stop people? If you focus on yourself, you shut that door. It's not that simple. They are screaming. You can hear it. But then your inner circle helps. We as a team do not encourage that. We as a team were with him. We were talking to him. His family will always be there. Certain things are beyond your control. That narrative also changed when we won the World Cup," said Bumrah on the Indian Express Adda.
"You cannot take it seriously. Now that people are singing praises, it is not the be all or end all. When we lose a game, that narrative can change again. Because we play a sport that is so popular, every sportsman will go through all this. In football, we see fans booing people. The best players in the world face all these things. It's a part of a sportsman's journey. Things happen that are not a great spectacle. It is not fair. It is what it is. We live a great life; we have good things in our sport.
"We as a team we cannot live a man behind. We are there for each other. We are trying to help each other. I have played a lot of cricket with Hardik but it might be a youngster. It is us against the world. You do not want to introduce too much. We were together and trying to help him if he needed it," Bumrah added.
As the highly anticipated mega auction approaches in 2025, all attention is focused on the Mumbai Indians (MI) and whether they will be able to retain their star players: Hardik, Rohit, Bumrah, and Suryakumar, following their impressive performances last year.
In the 2024 T20 World Cup, Bumrah stood out as the Player of the Tournament, showcasing his exceptional talent with 15 wickets in eight games. Meanwhile, Hardik proved to be one of India's key players, delivering outstanding all-round performances throughout the tournament.
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