IPL: Rajeev Shukla, who is the vice president of the BCCI, has reckoned that they did try to contact Hardik Pandya after he was facing the wrath of the MI fans in IPL 2024 and had also revealed that Rohit Sharma's fans didn't like this decision. The Mumbai-based franchise had let go of Pandya way back in 2022 and was roped in by the Gujarat Titans, who helped them lift their maiden IPL title and had also helped them qualify for the summit clash yet again.

MI bought him back again during the IPL 2024 auction in an all-cash deal along with a mandatory transfer fee. Although his return to the side was accepted, it was then revealed that he would be replacing the fan-favourite captain Rohit Sharma, as the veteran Indian batter was stripped of all captaincy duties.

Thus, Pandya faced the wrath of the fans during the toss of almost every match, and it never really stopped throughout the rest of the season.

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“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," Shukla was quoted as saying on the UPT20 league YouTube channel.

But after a few months, this controversy disappeared as both Rohit and Pandya played a huge role in helping India lift the 2024 T20 World Cup.

‘No format will die’: Rajeev Shukla

He was also asked about ODI's future, but he was quite optimistic and revealed that no format would die.

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“I don’t think any format will die. The England series was all Tests. Earlier, people used to say Test cricket was rubbish. But so many people watched this series, don’t even ask! The stadiums were full to the brim. After this series, it felt like Test cricket would go a long way. That’s the same for ODIs," he concluded.