Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer backed Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya and lambasted the trolls for personal attacks following the franchise's disappointing performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Pandya, who became the skipper of MI ahead of IPL 2024, has continuously faced criticism on the field and social media platforms. Jaffer backed the all-rounder to do well in T20 World Cup 2024.
Same people will be singing your praise: Jaffer
Jaffer took to his social media platforms to support the star all-rounder in the face of adversity and slammed the personal trolling and attacks amid Pandya's struggles. He said that you will play important innings in the T20 World Cup 2024 and the same people will praise you.
“Criticise his performance as much as you want but it’s extremely disappointing to see the constant personal trolling and attacks. Stay strong Hardik Pandya. Next month you’ll be playing crucial knocks in the World Cup and the same people will be singing your praise,” Jaffer tweeted.
Under Pandya’s captaincy, MI are languishing in ninth position in the points table. MI have earned only six points from 10 encounters. On April 30, they suffered another defeat by four wickets against KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The team’s struggles have drawn negativity from fans and spectators.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on April 30 announced India's 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, which will begin from June in the USA and West Indies. There were doubts if he would even make the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup, however, the selection committee named him as India’s vice-captain for the marquee tournament.
In the ongoing IPL, Pandya has scored just 197 runs and bagged six wickets at an economy rate of 11 so far.
India's T20 World Cup 2024 Squad
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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