New Delhi: Hardik Pandya played a crucial role in India’s magnificent campaign at the T20 World Cup 2024. The Men in Blue defeated South Africa by 7 runs and ended India’s 11-year ICC trophy drought. Pandya scored 144 runs at a strike rate of 151 in six innings and also picked up 11 wickets in the tournament.
Hardik’s brilliant comeback in the T20 World Cup made Ishan Kishan happy and he got emotional when Wankhede Stadium chanted his name.
“I got very emotional when he stepped out of the dressing room with the trophy and the entire Wankhede Stadium erupted. It was redemption for him” Kishan said to The Indian Express in an interview.
Hardik Pandya was traded from Gujarat Titans (GT) to Mumbai Indians (MI) and replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain of the franchise. Fans didn’t like the decision made by the franchise and started trolling and booing Hardik in every match. His performance was also impacted due to the pressure but he kept his cool throughout the tournament.
Ishan said that it is difficult to explain the past six months he had but the MI captain never lost his cool. He also said that he never complained about anything and was calm about it.
“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” Ishan says.
He also said that Hardik received a lot of trolling wherever he went but he never took it personally and did his job with a straight face.
“He was at the receiving end wherever he went. At the toss, while boarding the team bus, at the airport. But he didn’t take it personally. Generally, people break down when treated so harshly, but Hardik didn’t. I consider him a great athlete because despite the entire stadium booing him, he went on with the job with a straight face” he added.
‘If i give answer, it would be through sport’ Hardik Pandya
Team India met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after they landed in Delhi from Barbados on Thursday. During the conversation with PM Modi, Hardik Pandya spoke about the tough time he faced and said there have been a lot of ups and downs and the public also booed him but he preferred to give answers through sport.
“There have been a lot of ups and downs and the public booed me. A lot of things happened and I always felt that if I give any answer, it would be through sport,” Hardik told PM Modi.
Indian wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan spoke about Hardik Pandya’s mentality during the tough time he faced in the IPL 2024. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
