Watch: Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya's Post-Match Moment Is The True Message For Fans

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya found himself in the middle of crowd boos yet again as the franchise took on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match on Thursday. Hardik continues to remain a 'villain' for fans after the Mumbai franchise decided to name him the captain ahead of the IPL 2024 season, replacing Rohit Sharma. In the match against RCB, it was Virat Kohli who had to step in and try to rescue Hardik from the jeers. Virat even reminded fans that Hardik remains an India international player. Later, the two cricketers even shared an emotional moment on the field.

The match turned out to be a no-contest, with MI reaching the target of 197 runs with nearly 5 overs to spare. Hardik, who was in the middle when his franchise secured its second consecutive win of the season, even got a big brotherly hug from Kohli, who seemed to be empathetic towards the all-rounder's situation. Here's the video:

A @Jaspritbumrah93 special with the ball backed by a power packed batting performance help @mipaltan win in

Scorecard https://t.co/Xzvt86cbvi#TATAIPL | #MIvRCB pic.twitter.com/ro7TeupAQj

The moment truly signifies what Kohli felt for the under-fire Hardik, who probably remains the victim of a fan war in a T20 league that remains ruthlessly competitive.

After the match, Hardik was overawed by the nature of the Mumbai Indians' victory, lauding his team's batting unit in the chase of a tricky target.

"Always good to win. The way we have won - it's quite impressive. The impact player has given the opportunity to use an extra bowler if we require. It gives me a cushion as well. At the same point, if someone is having a bad day, it helps us to cover those overs. The way Ro and Kishan batted,