'Block it out, it's all irrelevant': Steve Smith on Hardik Pandya facing boos

Australian star batter Steve Smith has advised Hardik Pandya to simply block out the constant jeers and boos the new Mumbai Indians skipper is receiving from spectators at the IPL 2024 so far as they are all irrelevantHardik who replaced fivetime IPLwinning captain Rohit Sharma as skipper this season had a dismal start to his captaincy tenure as MI suffered backtoback defeats in IPL 2024On top of the two losses the former Gujarat Titans skipper was booed by fans at Ahmedabad and Hyderabad the venue of MIs first two matches as they were clearly not happy with the way Rohit was removed from captaincyId try and just say to block it out its all irrelevant Smith who has faced abuse from fans across the world for his role in the 2018 balltampering scandal in Cape Town told ESPNcricinfoNo one outside knows what you are going through No one from outside is in that change roomSmith who was called cheat by fans during the 2019 ODI World Cup in England feels all these abuse will come as a big surprise for Hardik as he is getting it from his Indian fans at homePersonally for me it doesnt bother me I dont care I dont pay any attention said Smith who had to resign as Rajasthan Royals captain in 2018 after the balltampering scandalYou know its all white noise but certainly players do hear things and everyones entitled to their own emotions and how they respond to those So is it affecting him Hardik Maybe Its possible He probably hasnt experienced that before in in any walk of life So its natural I suppose and particularly being in India and a star Indian player to be in that position where some fans are booing you its certainly something he wouldnt have experiencedAlso ReadGoing to be nice matchup Steve Smith on Virat vs Starc contest in RCB vs KKRHardik had led Gujarat Titans to IPL title triumph in their maiden season in 2022 after he was released by Mumbai IndiansHowever last November he returned to Mumbai Indians via a monetary trade and was soon made the captain replacing Rohit which did not go down well with the Indian captains fansHardik is in the middle of a challenging time losing the first two games their IPL season Its a big one for him said Smith who had replaced MS Dhoni as captain of nowdefunct Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017Hes filling big shoes with Rohit Sharma whos been the most successful captain with Dhoni in IPL history lifting five titles and it hasnt started well for himMI will face Rajasthan Royals on April 1 next at home and Smith is waiting to find out how Hardik is received by the local fans at the Wankhade StadiumSo hes under a little bit of pressure at the moment and itll be interesting to see what the receptions like in their first home game at Wankhede in a couple of days time We have heard a few boos going around at the grounds whichiquest thats been disappointing from my aspect But Im intrigued to see what the receptions like in Mumbai We know how big a star Rohit is and how much he is loved inside that stadiumWith agency inputs