The Mumbai Indian captain Hardik Pandya underwent a massive mental toil during his stint with the team as a captain for the first time in 2023. The relentless trolls and boos from the fans had often seen him putting on a fake smile and fighting through it. Even Virat Kohli was seen asking the fans not to boo Hardik. However, Rohit Sharma was an easy target, with many claiming that it was him igniting hatred for Hardik. However, BCCI president Rajeev Shukla said that Ro has nothing to do with it. It was Rohit's fans who went after Hardik for being the captain. In a YouTube video interview for the UPT20 League, Shukla rekindled the incident and said how Hardik maturely went through it. Shukla said, “When such incidents happen and fans do things like this, although players are smart enough; still, people within the BCCI do reach out to the players to motivate them, tell them not to worry. In Hardik’s case, Rohit Sharma’s fanbase did not like it. But the matter is done. Neither Rohit provoked them, never, nor did Hardik know this could happen. But he’s mature; he did not let it affect him. He did not get emotionally carried away. Then, they started winning, and when you start performing, fans start applauding by themselves again." Read also: RCB Director Reveals Why They Didn’t Retain Mohammed Siraj After parting ways with Mumbai Indians in 2022, Hardik Pandya moved to Gujarat Titans, where he guided the team to a championship and a runners-up finish in two seasons. In 2024, Mumbai secured his comeback through an all-cash trade along with an undisclosed transfer fee. The homecoming initially sparked excitement, but the mood shifted when it emerged that Pandya would take over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma, a long-serving and beloved leader, who stepped away from all leadership responsibilities. However, the relationship mended during the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Rohit Sharma was seen pecking Hardik's cheeks while the latter was giving an interview. Even Ro instructed Hardik to carry the trophy while the team landed at Mumbai and walked down the airport.