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.
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.
"Fan wars should never go this ugly a route. One should remember which country these players represent - our country. So, then what warrants a cricketer getting booed?
