It hasn't been an ideal start to Hardik Pandya's return to Mumbai Indians as he has been facing the feat both on and off the field. The flamboyant all-rounder's shock move from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians didn't impress many fans and things and it turned worse when he was appointed the MI skipper replacing Rohit Sharma. The MI management's decision put Pandya under scrutiny as a result he has faced the heat of the fans both on social media and on the ground. Wherever he has played so far, the fans have booed him including the home stadium at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

It has also affected his performance on the field as he has not been able to make a major impact for the side thus far as Mumbai are also struggling in the points table at the eighth spot. The five-time champions have won only two matches out of six. Pandya has scored 131 runs and claimed just three wickets as he looked rusty in both departments.

MI spinner Shreyas Gopal, who is also a close friend of Pandya, lauded him for showing mental toughness during the tough times.

"I've known Hardik for a decade now since my time at Mumbai Indians 10 years ago. Even then, nothing much has changed between us. And I think if people know him, he's a really tough guy. As much as people say that he's a strong guy, don't worry. You know, he actually is the guy. I can tell you over 10 years of experience or 10 years of friendship with him. He's a really tough guy, and something like this is only going to motivate him," Gopal said ahead of the Punjab Kings clash.

Gopal said that it's not easy for any player to see the fans criticising them on a daily basis but the way Pandya is handling it shows he is one of the toughest human beings.

"And, the way I think the way he's taking it so far has been tremendous and very inspiring for a lot of us. And, you know, seeing it on a daily basis is obviously not easy. But the guy is really, really strong,"

"He's one of the toughest cricketers going to toughest human beings going around in the world, and kudos to him for that. So, that way, he's not let anything affect him personally," said Gopal.

The leg-spinner admitted that all the things will be probably going on his head but he is not showing that to everyone and has created a positive atmosphere in the camp.

"But, having said that, I'm sure that you know it. It will probably be there in his head, but I think the superiority of how he is as a person and how tough he is mentally, I think he's taken it really well. The only talk that we've had, or as a group or one on one or whatever is like how we can turn things on when we are not winning and how can we win? How can we look to win this IPL and how, as a group, we can stay together, stay motivated, stay united and try and win this and play the best cricket possible," said Gopal.

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