NEW DELHI: Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya's return to his former franchise Mumbai Indians has not gone down well for him in the first half of the Indian Premier League this season.
Ever since Hardik replaced a highly successful Rohit Sharma -- a five-time title winner -- as skipper at the franchise in a surprising move, the 30-year-old has been subjected to constant on-field booing by the spectators and social media ridicule.
Amid the negativity, Hardik hasn't been able to perform up to his potential as a batter, bowler or a leader. In the first 7 games, MI only have three wins under new skipper Hardik.
And former T20 World Cup winner and opener Robin Uthappa recently made a big statement on Hardik, saying that the booing has resulted in 'mental health issues' for the all-rounder.
Taking Hardik's side and backing his decision to return to MI, Uthappa said that the treatment he has been receiving from fans has been unfair.
"He is a guy who has got the calibre and potential to be an all-time great for the Indian team. He was let go by the team which discovered him, he went to another franchise. After winning 3-4 titles with them, he left. He must have felt a little bad; that will be there. He went to GT, won a title and finished runners-up in another. Then the conversation began," Uthappa said on The Ranveer Show on YouTube.
"The mocking, trolling, the memes about his fitness.
You don't think it hurts him? It hurts him. It hurts any human being. How many people actually know the reality of it? Hardik is dealing with mental health issues, for sure. We, as people, I understand, as Indians, we are emotional. But it is not right to impose this kind of treatment on any human being. It is unbecoming as a society for us to do that to someone and be okay with it. We should not be laughing along with it. We should not be forwarding these memes.
"It's our job, yes it's passion too, but it's what puts the food on the table for me. My job is on display for you to criticise. A corporate person's job is not on television to criticise, or have an opinion about either. When that is the case, you have to exercise a certain amount of empathy and dignity to the other person to allow them to fail. One of the most beautiful things we did as a country is our expression of love, and our reaction to our Indian team after we lost the World Cup.
That's how we should be as a society, and as Indians," said Uthappa.
In the first 7 matches this season, Hardik has 141 runs to his name at an average of 23.50 with no half-centuries.
On the bowling front, Hardik has bagged a mere 4 wickets and has leaked runs at an economy rate of 11 RPO.
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