'This is why his performance was affected': Ex-Pakistan cricketer accuses BCCI for Hardik Pandya's confused mental state

Mumbai Indians are having a really underwhelming season in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Many people state that the rift inside MI's dressing room might be the reason for it. However, Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has come up with his own bizarre take on the matter. He believes Hardik Pandya's mindset and performance is the reason behind their downfall and he also said that BCCI's decision to keep Rohit Sharma as India's T20 captain has also affected his performance.

Basit Ali on Hardik Pandya

Basit Ali believes that Hardik Pandya was expecting to become the T20 captain of India and that is the reason why he rejoined the MI ahead of IPL 2024. Ali stated that BCCI's decision left Pandya confused and affected his performance.

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"Mumbai Indians lost another match, but I think the mindset has cost them. The way Pandya was made captain before the start of the season, plus Pandya’s performance, has also not been up to the mark this year. These factors have contributed to MI’s downfall," Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel.

"After the culmination of the 50-over World Cup, Pandya thought he would be the T20 captain of India, and that is why he came to Mumbai. But when BCCI announced that Rohit Sharma will continue leading India, Pandya was probably confused. This is why his performance was affected. He has been very poor as a captain, and only Rohit Sharma can help him," Ali concluded.

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India's T20 World Cup 2024 Squad

Hardik Pandya has been named Rohit Sharma's deputy for the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup 2024. There was a lot of buzz around Pandya's selection over his IPL performance but he will be available for the Men in Blue in the mega tournament.

Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya (VC), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Reserves - Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan.

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