"He is one of my favorite Indian cricketers" - Trent Boult opens up on Hardik Pandya ahead of MI-RR IPL 2024 clash

Rajasthan Royals (RR) pacer Trent Boult voiced his support for Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya amidst the scathing reception the all-rounder has received thus far in the 2024 IPL season.

After being traded from the Gujarat Titans (GT) to his former franchise, MI, Hardik was made skipper, replacing long-time captain Rohit Sharma at the helm. As a result, the 30-year-old has been booed across stadiums in MI's opening two outings.

Speaking to the Media ahead of RR's clash against MI, Boult expressed confidence that Hardik can block out the outside noise and focus on the game.

"It is something you cannot control, as professional sportspeople it is what you are exposed to in a way. You have to block out the white noise and focus on the job, (but) it is easier said than done. There are a lot of passionate fans in this country, and speaking of Hardik specifically, he is one of my favorite Indian cricketers and I do not think the booing will hold out for too long. I am sure, he is one of those guys who can put it aside and focus on the job," said Boult.

Boult and Hardik were teammates in MI during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, with the franchise winning their fifth IPL title in 2020.

Hardik's task has been made harder by the fact that MI have suffered defeats in their opening two games against GT and SRH.

"Once we get a win under our belt, things will be totally different" - Piyush Chawla

Hardik Pandya's MI teammate Piyush Chawla felt a win would restore normalcy in terms of the crowd reception to the newly-appointed captain.

The star all-rounder has also struggled with his performances, scoring only 35 runs in the two matches and conceding 76 runs in 7 overs with the lone wicket.

"Well, that you can't really help because you know, they are a crowd and whatever they are doing is beyond our control so we can't really say what they are doing. The way Hardik has taken it...he is just focusing on the game, he is not even worried about what the crowd is doing and once we get a win under our belt, things will be totally different," Chawla told the Media.

Meanwhile, questions have also been asked about Hardik's captaincy, especially against SRH when he held Jasprit Bumrah's final three overs despite the game getting out of hand.

The veteran all-rounder led GT admirably in his two seasons, with the side winning the title in 2022 and reaching the final last year.