Pakistan legend Wasim Akram has voiced his support for Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya, who has faced criticism since taking over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma.

With Mumbai currently sitting at the eighth position in the 10-team Indian Premier League (IPL) table, having suffered five defeats in eight matches, Pandya's performance has also been questioned.

However, the main challenge for Pandya this season seems to be the relentless criticism from fans, both on social media and in stadiums. Akram believes that fans in the Indian sub-continent have a tendency to hold onto past grievances and need to rally behind their captain instead.

"This is the problem in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. We never forget. We tell our kids that when Pandya's kid is born, you have to remind him why he became captain 20 years ago. We don't move on," Akram remarked, while speaking to Sportskeeda.

The former Pakistan skipper further opined that Rohit Sharma should have continued as Mumbai captain in this IPL edition, with Pandya taking over the role in the following season.

"In franchise cricket, such things happen. Look at how CSK took the captaincy decision for the long run, and maybe, even they (MI) had the same idea. This was not a personal decision, but in my view, Rohit Sharma should have continued as captain for one more year. Perhaps, next year, Hardik Pandya could have been the captain," Akram said.