Hardik Pandya didn’t have a great time before the T20 World Cup 2024, for he faced ample criticism throughout the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Hardik Pandya didn’t have a great time before the T20 World Cup 2024, for he faced ample criticism throughout the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Coming after a hiatus due to injury, Pandya made a homecoming to Mumbai Indians (MI) and also got captaincy of the team.
That move didn’t please Rohit Sharma and Mumbai Indians’ fans, who decided to vilify him at every possible turn. Fans booed him at every venue Mumbai Indians played and wrote negative things about him throughout IPL 2024.
That Hardik endured a bad form personally didn’t help his case, either. He was nowhere close to his best with bat and ball, and his mediocre form gave more opportunities to trolls, who made sure to make life hell for Hardik.
Also Read: WATCH: Krunal Pandya’s reaction to Hardik Pandya’s speech after T20 World Cup triumph
Then, MI were the worst-performing team in the season, which only exacerbated things for Hardik. Nothing went his way, and Hardik was the most hated guy among Indian fans despite not being at fault at all in anything.
Talking to the Indian Express, Ishan Kishan revealed he was emotional seeing Hardik Pandya perform and lift the T20 World Cup 2024 trophy. Kishan added how Hardik was cool even during tough times and focused only on his game, shutting the external noise.
“It is difficult to explain in words the past six months he has had, as there were all kinds of things said and written about him. But he never lost his cool. I was with him during most of that time – be it training with him in Vadodara or during the IPL – and I never heard him cribbing ki yaar, aisa kyun ho raha hai mere saath (Mate, why is it happening with me). He was calm about it, took it in a very sporting manner, and just focused on the game.”
After enduring hard two months with Mumbai Indians, Hardik returned to form in style and was among India’s top performers in the T20 World Cup 2024. He scored 144 runs at a terrific strike rate of 151.57 in six outings and snared 11 wickets at 13.63 balls apiece in eight innings.
Hardik let his game do the talking and turned his haters into fans after a glorious campaign in the West Indies and the USA, playing a vital role in making India champions and ending the trophy drought after a massive 11-year gap in ICC tournaments. He has always been among India’s best performers in India’s white-ball assignments, and it was only a matter of time before getting back into his groove.
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