Hardik Pandya entered the recently held T20 World Cup 2024 on the back of a disastrous IPL 2024 season as captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI).
Under his leadership, the five-time champions finished the season at the bottom of the points table and the all-rounder also endured a disappointing campaign with both bat and ball.
Moreover, Hardik was booed by the MI fans on several stadiums for being appointed captain by the franchise management, replacing Rohit Sharma.
Despite the setbacks, Hardik Pandya stayed strong and made a stunning comeback to help his country win the T20 World Cup title. He defended 15 runs in the final over to script India’s thrilling seven-run victory over South Africa in the title clash at the Kensington Oval, Barbados last week.
Taking to Instagram, Krunal Pandya on Friday (July 5) commended Hardik’s role in India ending their long-standing ICC title drought and also highlighted his younger brother’s struggles since the start of the year.
“It’s almost been a decade since Hardik and I started playing professional cricket. And the last few days have been like a fairy tale that we’ve dreamt off. Like every countryman I’ve lived this through our team’s heroics and I couldn’t be more emotional with my brother being at the heart of it,” wrote Krunal.
In the T20 World Cup final, Hardik Pandya returned with the bowing figures of 3/20 in his three overs, which included the prized scalps of rampaging Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller.
Overall, Hardik claimed 11 wickets from eight innings and scored 144 runs from six innings during India’s triumphant campaign. His best batting performance came against Bangladesh when he slammed 50* off 27 balls in the second Super 8 fixture.
“The last six months have been the toughest for Hardik. He simply didn’t deserve what he went through, and as a brother, I felt very, very bad for him. From booing, to people saying all kinds of nasty things, at the end of the day, we all forgot that he is just a human being who also has emotions. He somehow passed through all of this with a smile, though I know how hard it was for him to put on a smile.
“He has now played his heart out to realise India’s long-standing dream – And nothing has ever meant to him more. From the age of 6 – it’s playing for the country and winning the World Cup that’s been the dream,” Krunal added.
“I just want to remind people that what Hardik has done in such a short span in his career is unbelievable. His efforts for the national team have never been compromised. Every time, at every stage of Hardik’s life, people have written him off, and that has only motivated him to come back even stronger. For a young boy coming from Baroda, there can be no bigger achievement than helping his team win the World Cup,” he further remarked.
Hardik Pandya is likely to return to action during the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka later this month.
