Felt Sorry for Hardik, Boucher Speaks on the Booing Incident

Felt sorry for Hardik, never nice to go through something like that: Boucher on boos

Mumbai, Mumbai Indians coach Mark Boucher felt really bad watching captain Hardik Pandya face boos from the fans during their poor IPL season. He admitted it affected Pandya, and the management needs to address this soon. Pandya, after two successful seasons leading Gujarat Titans, was brought back to captain Mumbai Indians, replacing five-time champion skipper Rohit Sharma, a decision that upset many fans. 

“It wasn't great hearing all the boos. I felt sorry for Hardik. It's never nice to go through something like that,” Boucher said after MI lost their last league game to Lucknow Super Giants by 18 runs. “Some things affected individuals, which ultimately affected the team,” Boucher said after MI finished last for the second time in three years. He believed the poor performances and outside pressure clouded his judgment.

“There's a lot going on around him that maybe clouded his thoughts sometimes, which is tough for him as a leader. He had a lot of support in our dressing room with guys trying to help him. But it's tough to go through as a player,” he said.

Boucher said any off-field issues hurting the team need management's attention. “We need to address off-field stuff to get it right on the field. This is a professional unit, and players and staff get judged by their on-field performance. If off-field issues hamper that, we need to address it,” he said.

In Latest Comments, Boucher Felt Sorry for Hardik and the Boos

Boucher backed Pandya to continue as MI captain, though he admitted the team's poor performance needs a thorough review without making emotional decisions. “As I said, we haven't had discussions. Everything's been about cricket at the moment. Going forward, I'm sure he is the guy the franchise wants to continue. We'll have these conversations later,” he said.

When asked if Mumbai Indians should have handled the leadership change differently, Boucher agreed. “I haven't really talked to a lot of team management about that decision,” Boucher replied when asked about the captaincy change.

“Now is not the right time. Everyone is very disappointed and emotional, so no good decisions will be made soon. We need to evaluate what's going on and what needs improvement, whether on or off the field. We have great heads in the management team. We'll find a way to make it better for the players to produce the cricket we know they can, which was below par this season,” the head coach added.

Boucher said Pandya found form as a bowler but fell short as a batter. “He'd also be disappointed in his performance. As a captain, I thought he had some good games,” he said.

Boucher said Pandya will become a stronger leader from this experience. Pandya was booed twice on Friday, once when he walked out to bat and once after he was dismissed. “A lot of the stuff he's going through is maybe a little uncalled for. It'll be a learning curve for Hardik and his growth in leadership. While times are tough now, it'll make him a tougher leader and grow him in the role,” he said.

Boucher said one reason Pandya struggled as a batter was due to the change in role from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians. Pandya was 10th among MI batters with just 216 runs from 14 matches at an average of 18 with no fifties. Boucher felt Pandya has been effective as a finisher when someone else fires for MI, mostly during successful years with Kieron Pollard.

“When Hardik played for Mumbai Indians, he was a finisher. He was in that role with Polly. He then went to Titans and batted in a different scenario,” Boucher said.

“He batted up front and had to make slight technical adjustments to face a newer ball and different lengths. He was aware of that. Throughout the season, it was a work in progress to get him back to the finisher role, batting at the end of innings,” Boucher said, adding Pandya needed to rediscover his hitting power.

The South African admitted even his role as head coach would be reviewed among other issues MI need to address. “I'm not sure where I'm going. It's early days. A lot of people are emotional. There will probably be discussions about all of us,” he said.