From facing the wrath of booing Mumbai Indians (MI) fans to scripting India’s historic 2024 T20 World Cup title, Hardik Pandya completed his stunning comeback on the grandest stage last month.
Ahead of the 2024 IPL season, Hardik left Gujarat Titans in a sensational cash deal to join MI. The franchise management also handed him the captaincy, replacing Rohit Sharma.
However, this decision did not go down well with a section of Mumbai fans, who booed the all-rounder throughout the league, which was played at different venues. He was also criticised by several former cricketers, including Irfan Pathan.
However, Hardik Pandya remained calm and focused throughout this time and played a decisive role in India’s T20 World Cup triumph. As a result, he not only silenced his detractors but also won over the fans.
Speaking to Star sports After the T20 World Cup, former Indian all-rounder Pathan said that he punished Hardik because his performance in the IPL 2024 was way below his standards.
“It’s been a special journey for Hardik Pandya. After all the criticism, I was the one who criticised him because he was not performing during the IPL. He was making a lot of mistakes at that time.” Irfan said.
“From then until he came back and won the World Cup, everything has been special. He showed his character and his performance. With Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, the kind of performance he put in to make a difference in the Indian cricket team has been very special.” he added.
Hardik Pandya’s performance in the T20 World Cup was nothing to write home about. He defended 15 runs in the final over to spearhead India’s tense seven-run victory over South Africa in the title clash at the Kensington Oval, Barbados.
In total, Hardik picked up 11 wickets in eight innings and scored 144 runs in six innings at the world’s premier event. His best performance with the bat came against Bangladesh, when he scored 50* off 27 balls in the second Super 8 match.
