Netizens React As Mumbai Indians Reveal Clip Of Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma Hugging
Rohit Sharma has been replaced by Hardik Pandya as MI captain [X.com]
Amidst the controversy surrounding their controversial captaincy swap ahead of IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians (MI) on Wednesday (March 20) tried to convince their angry and hurting fanbase that all is fine within the camp and there is no animosity between new skipper Hardik Pandya and his predecessor Rohit Sharma.
But the ploy came back to haunt the franchise and its social media team when netizens started trolling the five-time champions because even though Pandya and Rohit were seen hugging each other in a clip issued by the side, aggrieved fans of Rohit and MI didn't find it convincing and indicative of a cordial relationship among the two.
As Pandya suddenly went up to Rohit for a quick hug during a team hurdle exercise amid a training session, the act seemed staged to latter's fans, who have been crucifying the team ever since their idol's removal from the helm of affairs and even forged a backlash against the new captain.
Netizens React To Pandya Hugging Rohit In MI's Clip
While the intent was obviously to restore a sense of calm among the fans by establishing that it's all hunky-dory between the two Mumbai stalwarts, the clip only resulted in more backlash and social media naysaying as seen via the series of tweets below.
The controversy based on the captaincy switch seems to have attained a never-ending loop where even though Pandya has been respectful towards Rohit and the latter has maintained grace despite his sacking, MI fans haven't stopped with the jeering and abuses thrown at new skipper and the management, including head coach Mark Boucher.
Crowd jeering will be one of Pandya's challenges home and away throughout IPL 2024, where he starts his stint on an emotional note, returning to the den of his old franchise Gujarat Titans (GT) for their opening game in Ahmedabad on Sunday (March 24).