Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers has reacted strongly to the misinterpretation of his comments about Hardik Pandya and the all-rounder's captaincy of Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

De Villiers explained why he believes Hardik does not come across as genuine while leading MI and recalled how he used to be more intense on the field to make a statement to the opposition.

De Villiers expressed disappointment that his comments on Hardik were misquoted in the media.

"I see there is a lot of activity on X about the comments I made about Hardik Pandya and Mumbai Indians. And it's a shame that journalism and reporting has got so low (laughs). And I am very happy that some of you have pointed it out, taking some of those comments out and leaving the rest," AB de Villiers said in his YouTube show on Monday (May 13).

"I very clearly stated and I will state this again -- I absolutely love the way Hardik Pandya plays his game. I love the way he captains. All I can say is, his style of captaincy is something that he has certainly worked on. It's not something that you can just walk out of the door and you are a brave captain,” he added.

"Why I said it's always not genuine is because I played exactly the same way. I was not the soft-spoken, genuine AB de Villiers that I was at my home. The guy you saw on the field was in a way 'an act'. Sometimes, you have to put up a front and show the opposition that you are a force to reckon with. That's what Hardik Pandya does. I am saying that style is not always the easiest style to adapt to, especially for some senior players,” he further remarked.

"I love Hardik Pandya, that's what I said. To you reporters out there, I am sorry to burst your bubble," De Villiers stated.

Ahead of the IPL 2024 season, Hardik Pandya completed a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians and replaced Rohit Sharma as skipper of the five-time champions.

However, the all-rounder failed to create an impact as captain. MI are languishing at the ninth spot in the 10-team points table with just 4 wins in 13 matches.

Hardik was booed by a section of MI fans in the initial few matches of IPL 2024. Despite his average performances with both bat and ball, Pandya has been named the vice-captain of India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad, led by Rohit Sharma.