May 1 (Punjab Khabarnama) : A few hours after he was named vice-captain of India’s T20 World Cup squad, Hardik Pandya endured a woeful evening. The Mumbai Indians captain was dismissed for a golden duck as the side crashed to yet another defeat – this time by 4 wickets – at the hands of Lucknow Super Giants, pretty much dashing their Playoff hopes. With seven defeats, the five-time champions are languishing at No. 9 in the IPL 2024 points table and no extent of mathematical equations is going to be enough to revive their campaign.
At the centre of the storm is Hardik. After MI decided to replace Rohit Sharma with the returning Pandya as their captain, they were hopeful Hardik would be able to turn their fortunes – MI have not won an IPL title since 2020 – but no one would have envisioned the manner in which things panned out. MI struggled throughout their IPL 2024 campaign, especially with Hardik being subjected to endless hostility. Wherever he went, the MI captain was pulled down with constant booing and jeering, which did nothing to lift his morale.
With MI almost done and dusted this year, Hardik’s next assignment is the T20 World Cup, with Wasim Jaffer coming out in support of the star all-rounder. With MI’s unofficial ouster, Hardik copped more hate, but Jaffer, the former India opener, condemned the public behaviour and consoled Pandya to hang in there.
“Criticise his performance as much as you want but it’s extremely disappointing to see the constant personal trolling and attacks. Stay strong @hardikpandya7 next month you’ll be playing crucial knocks in WC and the same people will be singing your praise,” Jaffer posted on X.
What next for Hardik Pandya
With MI no longer making it to the Playoffs and Royal Challengers Bengaluru soon joining them on the way out, Hardik, along with the likes of Rohit and Virat Kohli are expected to be part of the first bunch that leaves for the Caribbean on May 21. After a flow show with MI which saw Hardik scoring 197 runs and picking six wickets from 10 matches, Pandya would want to turn things around in what promises to be the biggest World Cup of his career. Currently at the crossroad, Hardik, as Rohit’s deputy has the opportunity to right all wrongs when the T20 World Cup gets underway from June 2 in the West Indies and USA.
He doesn’t get the due credit but Hardik played a crucial role along with Virat Kohli in the 2022 T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan at the MCG. Unfortunately, Hardik could not complete the 2023 ODI World Cup last year after injuring his ankle during the Bangladesh game but if there is ever a more opportune time for redemption, this is it. Hardik captained India to an ODI victory in West Indies last year but faced defeat in the T20Is, marking WI’s first-ever win over India in a five-match T20I series. As vice-captain, Hardik will have bigger role and responsibilities to perform, and Jaffer would be hoping his prediction comes true.
