Indian T20 World Cup 2024 vice-captain Hardik Pandya opened up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on how he managed to deal with the criticism he faced in the last season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Hardik bounced back in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024 where Men in Blue won the title defeating South Africa in the final at Kensington Oval in Barbados.
Hardik Pandya for critics
After the World Cup triumph, the winning team met PM Narendra Modi for breakfast. Speaking to PM Modi, Hardik said that he did not lose his cool by hitting back at the critics.
“The last 6 months have been very entertaining for me, there have been a lot of ups and downs and the public booed me. A lot of things happened and I always felt that if I give any answer, it would be through sports... So I believed that I would stay strong, will work hard,” he said.
Why was Hardik Pandya Criticised in IPL 2024
Hardik was brutally trolled in the IPL 2024 after rejoining Mumbai Indians and the franchise announced him as Rohit Sharma's successor. Fans started targeting the all-rounder after five-time champions MI failed to perform under Hardik's leadership.
Hardik Pandya's performance in T20 World Cup 2024
Hardik scored 144 runs in the T20 World Cup and got 11 scalps. The all-rounder bowled a game-changing over in the T20 World Cup 2024 final where he got Henrich Klassen, which helped India make a comeback in the final. Hardik went on to bowl the tense final over and defended 16 runs to help India win the T20 World Cup title.
As Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game, Hardik will likely to be the new India captain for T20Is.
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