In a reprehensible incident, certain supporters of Rohit Sharma have engaged in abusive behavior towards Hardik Pandya and his wife Natasa Stankovic on their Instagram posts following Pandya’s appointment as the new captain of the Mumbai Indians
Just 20 days after the announcement of his transfer from the Gujarat Titans to the Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya was appointed as the new captain, taking over from Rohit Sharma, who had led the franchise to glory with 5 IPL titles and one Champions League trophy from 2013 to 2022.
“MC, chapri, bhikari,” Mumbai Indians fans abuse Natasa Stankovic wife of Hardik Pandya on Instagram after Rohit Sharma is removed as captain
That's how Rohit Sharma fans trolled and abused Hardik Pandya and his wife on Instagram. https://t.co/nvtBYXlYYQ pic.twitter.com/zNCFVPijdU
— GAUTAM (@indiantweetrian) December 19, 2023
Lastest Instagram Story of Hardik pandya's wife pic.twitter.com/bwD2clZS7j
— 𝐃𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐔 𝕏 (@diptanubiswas19) December 19, 2023
Rohit sharma fans abusing hardik pandya and his wife this so shameful
Don't worry hardik pandya we Kohli nation stands with you 🔥
Like if you are stand with hardik pandya ❤️#ShameOnMI #HardikPandya #RohitSacked #RohithSharma𓃵 pic.twitter.com/RW3teHY6rj— Ajay 🇮🇳 (@coruptajxy) December 16, 2023
Dear @SwatiJaiHind mam These Rohit fan abusing Hardik Pandya wife and his 3 year old son.
Please take strict action https://t.co/x7d6AYCW0E— Navendu CR7 FC 🇵🇹🇮🇳 (Inactive) (@NavenduPratiha1) December 15, 2023
Pandya Insisted on Being Captain
Evidently, the decision by the MI management has left fans of Rohit Sharma aggrieved. However, the perspective from the MI management is that Pandya is being groomed as the captain for the next 4-5 years, given Rohit Sharma’s age of 36 and the possibility that the upcoming IPL season might be his last.
Interestingly, it has been rumored that Pandya insisted on being named captain of MI as a precondition for agreeing to the trade from GT, a team he led to two consecutive IPL finals, winning one and losing the other on the last ball.
Fans Abused Pandya’s Wife
Fans of Rohit, who still holds the official title of India captain, expressed their hurt, anger, and fury towards Mumbai Indians and Hardik Pandya by resorting to abuse directed at Pandya and his wife, Nataša Stanković, in the comments section of their Instagram posts.
Recent reports indicate that discussions about the trade between Hardik Pandya and the Mumbai Indians commenced after the completion of IPL 2023, a season in which MI failed to reach the final for the third consecutive time under Rohit’s captaincy, while Pandya led GT to two consecutive finals.
It’s been reported that Rohit was informed before the World Cup 2023 that Hardik would assume the MI captaincy. Hardik’s return was contingent on immediately taking over the captaincy, and he agreed to the trade on the condition that he would lead Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2024 season.
MI Lost 400,000 Followers
Allegedly, Mumbai Indians lost 400,000 followers on a certain platform within an hour of the captaincy announcement. Rohit Sharma took charge of Mumbai Indians’ captaincy in 2013, succeeding Ricky Ponting, and led the franchise to five IPL titles, a record equaled by MS Dhoni in IPL 2023.
Despite Pandya’s two-year successful captaincy stint with the Gujarat Titans, it is perceived to fall short of Rohit Sharma’s legacy as Mumbai Indians’ skipper, leading to dissatisfaction among the fanbase.
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