When Sanjay Manjrekar schooled the Wankhede crowd to “behave” after they booed the newly-appointed Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya, all he wished the general public to understand that their boorish behaviour focusing on a “huge stage participant”, was unfair. Pandya was jeered at each venue after he was handed captaincy by MI, signalling a controversial finish to the profitable and widespread Rohit Sharma’s tenure on the helm. The entire episode had a deep-level influence on Pandya.

Manjrekar, whereas conducting the toss on the Wankhede throughout a house match of MI, did interject but it surely solely led to a meme-fest by the insensitive social media trolls.

Pandya performed a serious half in India’s second T20 World Cup trophy with 144 runs and 11 wickets, and Manjrekar now stands vindicated.

“What a turnaround for Hardik Pandya. In IPL, there have been folks jeering him and booing him and I informed them to behave as a result of this can be a big-stage participant,” Manjrekar informed ‘ESPNCricinfo’.

The previous India participant and famous pundit at all times knew that Pandya would maintain his nerve in strain conditions as he introduced his staff again within the sport with the wicket of the damaging Heinrich Klaasen after which closed out the sport with a mindblowing ultimate over.

“We’ve got seen that umpteen occasions, wickets of Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and proper on the finish, Rabada, so he was a champion and no shock, to see him flourish on the large stage,” Manjrekar stated.

Manjrekar reminded Indian followers that even of their humiliating defeat towards England in Adelaide, again within the 2022 version, the colorful Baroda man was a face-saver and a relaxed presence beneath strain.

“Even in that semifinal towards England, he got here in and gave India some hope with 60 off 33. So that is what he’s all about.

“You felt secure when he got here to bowl within the final over, he was not going to lose his nerves, he was going to bowl sensibly,” he concluded.

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