![Ashwin Slams Ugly Fan War Between Rohit, Hardik Supporters Mumbai Indians](https://aakasavani.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Mumbai-Indians.png)
Mumbai Indians
Indian Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is not happy with the growing animosity between fans of Mumbai Indians (MI) stars Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya. The rift emerged after MI replaced Rohit Sharma as captain with Hardik Pandya, who was captaining Gujarat Titans before the IPL 2024 season.
This unexpected change sparked outrage among some Rohit Sharma fans. They accused the franchise and Pandya of betraying their former skipper. The discontent manifested in online abuse directed at both players, and even booing of Pandya during matches. Pandya was booed during the toss in both of MI matches in this season.
Ashwin called out the “fan war” as irresponsible and illogical on his YouTube channel. He emphasized that neither the players nor the franchise are to blame for the captaincy change. “In this matter, the responsibility and the onus lies solely on the fans,” Ashwin said.
“Have you ever seen this happen in any other country? This is cricket, not cinema. Fans should remember these players represent India, not opposing teams.” Ashwin questioned why fans would boo a player based on a captaincy decision.
He pointed out numerous instances in Indian cricket history where legendary players like Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, and Anil Kumble have played under each other’s captaincy without fan hostility. “We act like something like this never happened before, but it has,” Ashwin said.
“These greats have all played under each other at various points. When they did, they were all considered giants of the game.” He urged fans to focus on enjoying the sport and their favorite players, not denigrating others.
“Real sports have real-time emotions, but we need to find a balance,” Ashwin stressed. “We can’t compare a real sport to hero worshipping in cinema. Enjoy your favorites, but don’t put another player down.” Ashwin concluded by expressing his hope that this “fan war” mentality disappears from Indian cricket.
Meanwhile, MI has begun the IPL season with two disappointing losses. Their next match will be against Rajasthan Royals at their home ground, Wankhede Stadium.