In a livestream on his YouTube channel, a user asked Ashwin, \u201cwhether it is time for Mumbai Indians to issue a statement (on making Hardik the captain), saying it was a poor transfer from the management?\u201d In response, Ashwin said, \u201cNeither has any role to play. Neither the franchise nor the player has a role to play in this at all. I think the responsibility and the onus lies on the fans.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Following his switch from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians in what has been seen as a coup and replacing Rohit Sharma as captain ahead of IPL 2024, Hardik was mercilessly subjected to boos and jeers by fans, who also used a discriminatory term for him at times, during the five-time champions\u2019 first two games in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, where they ended up on losing side.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Further talking about Hardik facing fans\u2019 ire in both of MI\u2019s matches so far, Ashwin said, \u201cHave you seen this happen in any other country? Have you seen Joe Root and Zak Crawley fans fight? Or have you seen Joe Root and Jos Buttler fans fight? It\u2019s crazy. Have you seen fans of Steve Smith and Pat Cummins fight in Australia? I\u2019ve said this many times. This is cricket.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThis is a cinema culture. I know there are things like marketing, positioning, and branding. I don\u2019t deny it. I don\u2019t believe in all this on my side but it\u2019s not wrong to indulge either. Fan wars should never go in this ugly route. One should remember which country these players represent - our country. So, then what warrants a cricketer getting booed?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ashwin also called for the booing of cricketers to stop, citing previous examples of how Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid played under each other\u2019s captaincy as players and how the trio later played under the leadership of M.S. Dhoni in the Indian team. \u201cI don\u2019t understand. If you don\u2019t like a player and boo a player, why should a team come out to issue a clarification? We act like this has not happened before. (Sourav) Ganguly played under Sachin (Tendulkar) and vice versa.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThese two have both played under Rahul Dravid\u2019s captaincy. These three have played under Anil Kumble and all of them have played under Dhoni. When they were under Dhoni, these players were cricket jambhavans (giants). Dhoni too played under Virat.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe need to get our act together. Do you know what the problem is? We are all happy to sit in our houses, look outside, and have someone else pick up the trash. We don\u2019t want to bother doing it ourselves. We should correct ourselves first. This is real-time sports. Real-time sports have real-time emotions.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHow we go beyond that, counter it, and find a balance to play cricket is what this is all about. A real sport can never be compared to cinema. Heroes and hero-worships are great. I am all for it. Enjoy what you like about your favourites but not at the cost of putting another player down. This is one thing I\u2019d love to see disappear from the face of the earth in our country,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mumbai Indians, who are yet to get off the mark in the points table, will play their first home match of IPL 2024 against the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday evening.<\/p>\r\n\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2024\/03\/ipl-2024-fan-wars-are-taking-an-ugly-turn-says-ashwin-on-fans-booing-hardik-pandya.JPG", "alt_img": "IPL 2024: Fan wars are taking an ugly turn, says Ashwin on fans booing Hardik Pandya", "alt_title": "Hyderabad : Indian Premier League cricket tournament between between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai ", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "IPL 2024: Fan Wars Are Taking An Ugly Turn, Says Ashwin On Fans Booing Hardik Pandya On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "IPL 2024: Fan Wars Are Taking An Ugly Turn, Says Ashwin On Fans Booing Hardik Pandya, Indian Premier League: Veteran India and Rajasthan Royals off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has come out in support of Mumbai Indians captain.", "seo_keywords": "Hardik Pandya, Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians, IANS Photo, New Delhi, Veteran India, Rajasthan Royals, Ravichandran Ashwin, Gujarat Titans, Rohit Sharma, Joe Root, Zak Crawley, Jos Buttler, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav", "tag": "", "tagging": "Hardik Pandya, Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians, IANS Photo, New Delhi, Veteran India, Rajasthan Royals, Ravichandran Ashwin, Gujarat Titans, Rohit Sharma, Joe Root, Zak Crawley, Jos Buttler, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, Sachin Tendulkar", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "ipl-2024-fan-wars-are-taking-an-ugly-turn-says-ashwin-on-fans-booing-hardik-pandya", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "1112", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2024-03-30 14:02:04", "updated": "2024-03-30 14:02:04", "img_from": "Image Source: IANS", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "Hardik Pandya, Indian Premier League, Mumbai Indians, IANS Photo, New Delhi, Veteran India, Rajasthan Royals, Ravichandran Ashwin, Gujarat Titans, Rohit Sharma, Joe Root, Zak Crawley, Jos Buttler, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "1", "google_feed": "1", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "23", "jio_date": "2024-03-30 14:02:04", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "1", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": null, "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/ipl-2024-fan-wars-are-taking-an-ugly-turn-says-ashwin-on-fans-booing-hardik-pandya-141460" }