IPL 2024: Ishan Kishan hopes fans will start loving Hardik Pandya soon

Mumbai Indians opener Ishan Kishan put his weight behind skipper Hardik Pandya and said that he is a kind of a player who would love to take challenges head-on.

Hardik Pandya has been in the news for the wrong reasons even before the Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced. The all-rounder’s appointment as the captain of the Mumbai Indians did not go well with fans, and his mediocre on-field performances compounded the issue.

Fans in neutral venues also have not spared Pandya, with the all-rounder getting boos from the crowd in stadiums like Ahmedabad and Hyderabad too.

Speaking to the media after Mumbai decimated Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium on April 11, Kishan said being in this situation isn’t new for the skipper and added that he would take the challenge head-on. “Talking about Hardik Pandya, he loves challenges. He has been in this situation before. He is in that situation right now. He is not someone who will come out and talk about this and that. I know he is someone who works really hard off the field. On the field, he is on a very different level,” Kishan said.

The southpaw opined that fans have their expectations and their point of view, which cannot be faulted. “I have spent a lot of time with him. He is ready for the challenges, because you can’t complain to the fans. They will come up with their expectations, they will come up with their point of view. But at the same time, knowing how Pandya thinks, he is someone who loves challenges,” he explained.

Kishan backed his skipper and hoped that the fans would start loving Pandya very soon. “Fans can be a little harsh on you, but at the same time, when you show that it isn’t bothering you, and you’re in a good headspace and willing to perform well, that might change. If not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after,” he concluded.