NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals' pacer
Trent Boult
on Sunday showed support for his former teammate
Hardik Pandya
, urging him to ignore distractions amid the crowd's disapproval during the ongoing IPL matches in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
Pandya, who has assumed the captaincy of Mumbai Indians this season after his return from Gujarat Titans, has faced criticism from fans regarding the leadership transition from Rohit Sharma.
IPL 2024 Points Table
"It is something you cannot control, as professional sportspeople it is what you are exposed to in a way. You have to block out the white noise and focus on the job, (but) it is easier said than done," Boult told the media at the Wankhede Stadium.
Boult reassured that the booing would eventually fade away and expressed his confidence in Pandya's ability to stay focused and not be affected by the negativity.
"There are a lot of passionate fans in this country and speaking of Hardik specifically, he is one of my favourite Indian cricketers and I do not think the booing will hold out for too long. I am sure, he is one of those guys who can put it aside and focus on the job," Boult added.
Also Read: How to watch IPL 2024 live in USA, Canada and MENA region
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians' seasoned spinner
Piyush Chawla
expressed optimism, stating that the team's fortunes will turn around once they secure a victory, especially after the disappointing start to the IPL with two consecutive losses.
"Well, that you can't really help because you know, they are a crowd and whatever they are doing is beyond our control so we can't really say what they are doing," Chawla said.
Chawla claimed that Pandya has remained unaffected.
"The way Hardik has taken it...he is just focusing on the game, he is not even worried about what the crowd is doing and once we get a win under our belt, things will be totally different."
The right-arm spinner said MI have also looked to focus on the job at hand rather than focussing on what the fans have been doing inside the stadium.
"You get used to it, because you know, whatever is happening, whatever people are doing in the crowd, you can't really help it because it's beyond our control.
"We just have to focus on our game and whatever they are doing, let them do. We just have to focus on our cricket," he said.
However, Chawla hoped that the 'true' Mumbai fans would show up on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium to support the team in their first home game of the season.
"At the end of the day it's about the team; it's not about the individual. I am really hoping when the crowd comes in tomorrow, they will support the team after the kind of start we had," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
English (US) ·