India’s vice-captain, Hardik Pandya, recently discovered that his day of glory had come after several months marked by critic distortion on Internet following team’s T20 World Cup victory at Barbados last week. From IPL 2024 when his performance was below par,his IPL 2024 form which left majority criticizing him to last week’s T20 World Cup met his notch opponents. Known for replacing Rohit Sharma as MI’s captain has earned him criticism from the followers who termed it as too soon after IPL 2024 when he was underperforming leading to his replacement by fans for not bearing fruits since reappointment. MI finished bottom of the table under his captaincy.
The Indian team’s selection of Hardik for the T20 World Cup did not sit well with a few fans. Yet, Hardik stood out as an Indian match-winner in the T20 World Cup Final, playing a crucial role in their triumph all through. This change of attitude among fans happened after his outstanding performance in the final. A young lady even went to the extent of publicly apologizing to him on TV.
“Currently not in the best standing India’s wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan recollected the advice Hardik told him when fans went after him. “I had a feeling that he (Hardik) has saved it for the world cup. His words to me are still fresh, ‘Ek baar performance aa jaaye fir jo aaj gaali de rahe wahi taaliyaan bajayenge (Once I start performing, those who are abusing me will be clapping for me). He narrated to me at a point in time when I too was faced with seriously hard issues ,he said let people do the talking and we will give our 100% for the game.”
Kishan disclosed that the Indian vice-captain never complained about the fan’s treatment of him. This was after the young wicketkeeper-batsman lost his central contract and was seen practicing with Hardik Pandya ahead of the IPL.
“The past half-year has been challenging to describe verbally due to utterances and writings made against him. However, he never lost his temper during that time. For most part of it, I was around him – either while practicing together at Vadodara or in the IPL – and he was never heard saying, ‘ki yaar, aisa kyun ho raha hai mere saath (Mate, why is this happening with me).’ He was quite cool about it, took it as a real sportsman would do and concentrated on his game only.”
Hardik bhai once told me during the IPL, “Jo haath mai nahi hai uske baare mey kya sochna. Log bol rahe hain, kyu bol rahe, wo sab control nahi kar sakte” (Those things which are not in our hands, we can’t control). If I keep on thinking about what people are saying, I will lose it…Just another bunch of critics who will turn around and clap for me one day-after all you know how it goes,” concluded Kishan”.
