India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was in the middle of the storm during the IPL 2024 season when he took the captaincy over from Rohit Sharma after completing a sensational trade from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians.
Under Hardik's captaincy, MI failed miserably and finished at the bottom of the points table. He also failed to make a mark with both bat and ball, and was booed by the Mumbai fans in different venues.
Despite the setbacks, 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 tense seven-run victory over South Africa in the title clash at the Kensington Oval, Barbados last week.
Overall, Hardik Pandya claimed 11 wickets from eight innings and scored 144 runs from six innings in the global showpiece event. His best batting performance came against Bangladesh when he slammed 50* off 27 balls in the second Super 8 fixture.
Impressed with his contribution to India’s glory, the fans in Mumbai chanted Hardik’s name during the team’s felicitation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday (July 4) night.
After the celebrations were over, India’s wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan bumped into Hardik Pandya’s hotel room and congratulated the all-rounder in his inimitable style.
Kishan, who also plays for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, hugged and kissed Hardik on his cheeks for making the country proud.
Kishan uploaded the video of the meet-up on his Instagram account with the caption, “You faced so many things these past few months yet you stayed calm and focused. And today bhaiya you got the result of your hard-work, honesty and sincerity. There’s so much more I feel and want to say but words will fall short. You are a champion and you are rare."
