Key Points
New Delhi, Veteran spinner R Ashwin came out in vehement support of besieged Hardik Pandya after the Mumbai Indians captain was subjected to venomous reception by fans across Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.ge..
Ashwin squarely blamed the prevailing atmosphere of "fan wars" and "cinema culture" for the hostile treatment of Pandya by the spectators and in social media spaces, which started after the all-rounder replaced Rohit Sharma as MI captain ahead of IPL 2024..
The experienced off-spinner said neither the player nor the Mumbai team management owed an explanation on the issue, but urged the fans to be more rational in their behaviour..
. Ashwin, who recently completed the double of 100 Tests and 500 wickets, said toxicity has been increasing among Indian fans as compared to fans from some other cricketing nations..
The Chennai man also brought out examples from the past when legends like Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly played under MS Dhoni, a much younger cricketer then, setting aside their egos..
