“He’s smiling too much,” Kevin Pietersen claims Hardik Pandya is UNHAPPY and his form is affected by fans’ hate  

Hardik Pandya has been targeted by fans everywhere ever since he became MI captain.

“He’s smiling too much,” Kevin Pietersen claims Hardik Pandya is UNHAPPY and his form is affected by fans’ hate  

Hardik Pandya (Image via BCCI)

Hardik Pandya had a terrible game against Chennai Super Kings. The all-rounder conceded 43 runs in his three overs and then managed only two runs off six balls. 

Hardik Pandya‘s spell saw him being hit for three sixes by MS Dhoni, as he conceded 26 runs in the final over. After the end of the match, Kevin Pietersen and Sunil Gavaskar were critical of Pandya’s performance as captain and player. Despite not being impressed with Pandya’s performance, Pietersen believed the hate was affecting him. 

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Ever since he became the Mumbai Indians captain, Pandya has been targeted by everyone. He has been abused on the field and off it and is constantly booed whenever he plays. Pietersen noticed how much Pandya was smiling, claiming he wasn’t happy. 

I think with Hardik, everything away from the game is affecting him so much. He's smiling too much when he does the toss. He's trying to act like he's so happy. He's not happy!
Kevin Pietersen on Star Sports

Adam Gilchrist believes Hardik Pandya has lack of support in MI after MS Dhoni statement

Adam Gilchrist, who currently works as an analyst for Cricbuzz, believes Hardik Pandya isn’t getting the support he needs from Mumbai Indians. He theorized this after Pandya claimed MS Dhoni instructed the team on how to play. 

MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya
MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya (Image via BCCI)
That line about Dhoni is interesting. It tells that maybe he is feeling a bit of a lone wolf at the moment. Maybe it is all having a bit of an effect because he is having the feeling that he has not got support around him.
Adam Gilchrist on Cricbuzz

Gilchrist believes Ruturaj Gaikwad got the support he needed from Dhoni and co., while Pandya is struggling alone. He added that there could be some hesitation from the team management when it comes to supporting the captain. 

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