New Delhi: While most of India’s World Cup-winning heroes were back home after lifting the elite trophy, all-rounder Hardik Pandya kept his fans back home waiting for his arrival. Well on Monday, Pandya finally returned to his hometown Vadodara and undoubtedly it was a grand homecoming for him. A plethora of fans flocked to the streets where a roadshow was held to welcome the star all-rounder.
Pandya turned out to be a crucial asset for the Men in Blue in their T20 World Cup triumph in the Americas as he climbed to the top of an open bus which crawled in the middle of a mammoth crowd with Pandya waving the national flag and acknowledging all the cheers. The street was jam-packed as fans chanted his name and had their phones out, taking pictures of the son of Vadodara who shone brightly in the all-important final.
The welcome was quite similar to the roadshow held for Team India at the Marine Drive in Mumbai where the bus headed towards the iconic Wankhede Stadium. The fans in Vadodara arranged a special show for him and the overjoyed cricketer, donning the Team India jersey, was all smiles as he looked upon his home crowd. The open-top bus had the banner “Hardik Pandya – Pride of Vadodara” and even the streets saw posters of Pandya rising high in the air.
Watch the video here –
VIDEO | Cricketer Hardik Pandya (@hardikpandya7) attends a roadshow in Vadodara to celebrate Team India’s T20 World Cup victory. pic.twitter.com/Qp4rFg3Mxl
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 15, 2024
Pandya’s last few months
In the T20 World Cup 2024, Pandya emerged as one of the standout performers for India taking 11 wickets and scoring 144 runs at a strike rate of 150. His best performance came at the right time when India vied for the title in the final against South Africa. He thumped the opposition with impressive figures of 3/20, picking up Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, and Kagiso Rabada.
The Ajit Agarkar-led national selection committee deserved all the applauses as they showed faith in the all-rounder’s abilities despite a modest run during this season’s IPL for Mumbai Indians. For his dismal performances and specially for replacing Rohit Sharma as the skipper, Pandya was booed at every venue during the IPL, but he took his game to a different level altogether in the marquee ICC event to bring the cup home.
World Cup-winning hero Hardik Pandya returned to his hometown Vadodara on Monday as fans in the city flocked streets and gave him a grand welcome. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
