Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa backed Hardik Pandya amidst collective fan criticism.
Though for infamous reasons, Hardik Pandya is now a familiar name across India. The former Gujarat Titans captain joined as the Mumbai Indians skipper in IPL 2024, and Rohit Sharma fans were not happy with it. Besides, his animated behaviour towards Sharma, the initial losses with MI only added to the criticism of fans. However, former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa came in support of the all-rounder, negating all the criticism.
“He is a guy who has the calibre and potential to be an all-time great for the Indian team. He was let go by the team that discovered him. He must have felt a little bad. He went to GT, won a title, and finished runner-up in another,” Uthappa said on “The Ranveer Show,” as quoted by NDTV.
“The mocking, trolling, and memes about his fitness. You don’t think it hurts him? It hurts him. It hurts any human being. How many people actually know the reality of it? Hardik is dealing with mental health issues, for sure. We, as people, understand that, as Indians, we are emotional. But it is not right to impose this kind of treatment on any human being. It is unbecoming of us as a society to do that to someone and be okay with it. We should not be laughing along with it,” Uthappa added.
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The cricketer further added that people should not criticise Hardik’s situation and should be empathetic towards him. “You have to exercise a certain amount of empathy and dignity towards the other person to allow them to fail. One of the most beautiful things we did as a country was our expression of love and our reaction to our Indian team after we lost the World Cup. That’s how we should be as a society and as Indians,” concluded Uthappa.
Meanwhile, the MI skipper has not been at his best this IPL season. In the 7 matches he has played so far, he has only scored 141 runs and taken 4 wickets, leaking 165 runs amidst his doubtable fitness status and bowling form.
Last Updated on April 20, 2024
