Harbhajan Singh has backed struggling all-rounder Hardik Pandya to come up clutch for Team India at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. Harbhajan believes that Hardik Pandya becomes a different cricketer altogether for the national team, and the former Indian off-spinner also extended his best wishes for the all-rounder ahead of the multi-nation tournament.
The Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians endured one of their worst seasons in the history of the IPL in the recently-concluded edition and as a captain Hardik Pandya has to go through various lashes through media including his personal life.
Hardik Pandya’s downfall in IPL 2024
On one hand, the general sentiment was that of joy and celebration when reports had surfaced about Hardik Pandya, the then-captain of the Gujarat Titans, returning to the Mumbai Indians. Pandya had led the fledgling franchise to the finals in both seasons since their inception (2022 and 2023), even clinching the title in their inaugural edition.
As an ex-MI player who had spent seven years with the team, his return was expected to be eagerly anticipated. However, the situation took a dramatic turn when Mumbai-born Rohit Sharma was unceremoniously removed from the captaincy, exasperating the bulk of MI supporters. This anger boiled over, leading to Hardik Pandya being booed and jeered both on the field and on social media forums alike.
The most detrimental repercussion was a severe drop in his personal performance and that of his team, which managed to win only four out of 14 games during the whole of IPL 2024.
As reported by The Times of India, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who played alongside Hardik Pandya for three seasons (2015, 2016, 2017), expressed optimism that Hardik’s fortunes would change during the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.
He asserted that a ‘different Hardik Pandya’ would emerge, highlighting the numerous occasions where Hardik has demonstrated his true prowess with both bat and ball for various teams. The 43-year-old also extended his best wishes to Hardik for the global tournament, which will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the US in June.
Harbhajan Singh says Hardik’s form crucial for India
Hardik Pandya was appointed as Mumbai Indians captain for IPL 2024, thus replacing decade-long skipper and five-time winner Rohit Sharma in the process. Under his leadership, the Mumbai Indians franchise finished at the bottom of the 10-team points table, securing just four wins from 14 league games.
Moreover, Hardik Pandya also failed to put up a cohesive all-round performance, finishing with 216 runs from 13 innings with the bat at an abysmal average of 18 and taking just 11 wickets from 12 innings with expensive average and economy rates.
Despite Pandya’s recent struggles, former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh believes the all-rounder will deliver the goods for the national side at the 2024 T20 World Cup. Harbhajan also extended his best wishes for the senior Indian cricketer, and claimed that his form will place the ‘Men in Blue’ in good stead in the tournament. While speaking with the PTI, the cricketer-turned-commentator said:
“When he wears that blue jersey, he will be a different Hardik Pandya because we know he can score those runs and take those wickets. I want Hardik to come good as he has gone through a lot and I wish him all the very best to have a very good tournament for India,”
“If he has a good tournament, obviously India will have a great chance to go forward. Yes, his form is a bit of a concern, and a lot of other stuff was going on around him, his shifting from Gujarat to Mumbai was a big change and the team didn’t react too well to Hardik coming back and that too as captain,”
I would urge the management to bring everyone together…: Harbhajan Singh
Widespread rumors and speculations suggested a significant rift and the emergence of multiple factions within the dressing room of the five-time IPL-winning team. This discord was purportedly due to the abrupt change in captaincy, with players allegedly divided by conflicting loyalties. Along the same lines,
Harbhajan observed that amid all this drama and the multiple narratives circulating, ‘Hardik wasn’t a free man in the last two months’. He further noted that winning the World Cup would be a much greater achievement than winning the IPL. and therefore, urged the team management to unify everyone, stay on the same page, and ensure cohesion, regardless of the final result.
“It looked like they (MI) were not playing together as a team. So, there was a lot going on. Hardik wasn’t a free man in the last two months. Winning a World Cup is a bigger achievement than winning an IPL trophy, so I would urge the management to bring everyone together, have them on one page and make sure they play like one,”
“I believe it’s the responsibility of the management to come together, and win together. Even if they lose, they should be losing together,” mentioned Harbhajan.
Hardik Pandya will soon be expected to join his teammates in New York in time for India’s lone warm-up game against Bangladesh on June 1. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team will subsequently go up against Ireland in their first match of the 2024 T20 World Cup on June 5 at New York’s Nassau County International Stadium.