Told crowd to behave because Hardik is big-stage player: Sanjay Manjrekar

A lot was said about Hardik Pandya in the build-up to the ICC T20 World Cup. The India all-rounder faced the wrath of Mumbai Indians (MI) fans after replacing Rohit Sharma as the leader of the five-time winners for the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2024. Hardik not only endured a tough homecoming, but the former Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper failed to fire for the Mumbai Paltan in the league stage of the T20 tournament.

Manjrekar lauded big-stage player Hardik after the World Cup final(BCCI-PTI)

Leading MI in their first home game, Pandya was booed at the coin toss, paving the way for former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar to school the Wankhede crowd. As Hardik received a hostile reception from MI fans at Wankhede, Manjrekar warned the crowd to ‘behave’. Moving on from a painful season in the IPL, Hardik has silenced his critics by propelling India to World Cup glory in the Caribbean.

Rohit's deputy bowled the match-winning final over as India ended its long wait for an ICC title on Saturday. Reflecting on Hardik's impressive showing at the World Cup, former Indian cricketer Manjrekar recalled his famous on-air remark for the undefire MI skipper. Manjrekar said that he opted to hit back at the notorious fans because Hardik is a big-stage player.