Steve Smith advised Hardik Pandya to ignore crowd abuse during IPL 2024, acknowledging its potential impact on the Indian star who hasn’t faced such criticism before.
During IPL 2024, Australian cricketer Steven Smith advised Mumbai Indians’ captain Hardik Pandya to ignore the boos from fans, emphasizing their irrelevance and the importance of blocking out negativity. Pandya has faced significant criticism since taking on the captaincy, enduring abuse from spectators during matches against Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Smith highlighted the need for support from teammates, including former captain Rohit Sharma, and acknowledged that external criticism could affect Pandya, especially since he’s not accustomed to such scrutiny from Indian crowds.
“I’d try and just say, to block it out, it’s all irrelevant. No one outside knows what you are going through. No one [from outside] is in that change room,” Smith said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show.
“Personally, for me, it doesn’t bother me. I don’t care. I don’t pay any attention. You know it’s all white noise, but certainly players do hear things and everyone’s entitled to their own emotions and how they respond to those. So is it affecting him [Hardik]? Maybe. It’s possible. He probably hasn’t experienced that before in, in any walk of life. So it’s natural, I suppose, and particularly being in India and a star Indian player, to be in that position where some fans are booing you, it’s certainly something he wouldn’t have experienced,” he added.
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Steve Smith also reflected on his tenure as Rising Pune Supergiant captain in the IPL 2017, taking over from MS Dhoni. Despite the challenges, Smith found the season rewarding, crediting Dhoni for his invaluable support and guidance.
“It was an enjoyable season and we had some success that year [2017], I suppose, which helped as well. But MS was great with everything that he did. He was supportive, he helped me in any way that he could. He was great behind the stumps, obviously. He’s got a great view of what’s going on in the game and the angles that sort of take place on the field, and was able to sort those out and get people in the right areas,” he concluded.
Last Updated on March 29, 2024
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