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It has been a rollercoaster ride for Hardik Pandya. He was booed at his own homeground after succeeding Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain. After MI finished with just four wins from 14 games, Pandya was trolled but he overcame hardships to play a pivotal role in India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. Then, he was impressive in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 win as well. As Pandya is unlikely to get booed by fans this season, former MI head coach Mark Boucher has opened up on a tough season for the all-rounder.
"It was really tough for him (Pandya) last season. He was being booed by the crowd every time he took the field, he deserves better, he deserves 100 per cent respect," said Boucher on JioStar ahead of IPL 2025.
"A cricketer never wants such a thing to happen with him. But he is a tough character," he added.
Boucher hailed Pandya for putting the past behind and excelling in international cricket to turn the tide around. He compared him with the greats of the game and feels IPL is better when Hardik is playing.
"He is a battle-hardened cricketer. He has been through tough times, injuries, form, many things but he overcame everything and achieved success. The greats of the cricket have to be tough and he has shown that," Boucher said.
"IPL is better with Hardik on the field, the game of cricket is better with Hardik on the field," he added.
Harbhajan hails 'confident' Pandya
In the same discussion, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh hailed Pandya's progress as well leading to two ICC trophies.
"He (Pandya) is a very confident player, very positive guy. He has tremendous self-belief that he can do anything. That makes him different from others," Harbhajan, also a JioStar expert, said.
"It's really heartening to see (the way) he has progressed after a difficult last year. Things have changed for him. He helped India win two ICC trophies.
"This year he will be at his best. All the wrong things of the past are gone, it is a fresh year for him."
Pandya to miss first match, Surya to lead
Meanwhile, the 30-year-old will miss MI's first match of the season against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 23. In the pre-tournament press conference, he revealed that India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav will lead the team in first match. Pandya faced a one-match suspension for maintaining slow over rate.
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