Riyan Parag (Rajasthan Royals all-rounder) reckons that he is not in a position to give any sort of advice to Hardik Pandya. Hardik was on the verge of a critical hate-receiving end and received booing from all sorts of social media when he returned to the Mumbai Indians (MI).
Mumbai Indians (MI) fans expressed their sorrow and disappointment for the way Rohit Sharma was removed as the captain from the Mumbai franchise. Hardik was booed by the fans and Riyan could somehow relate to what the captain was going through. Riyan similarly faced a lot of criticism and hatred when he couldn’t play well in the IPL in the past.
Let’s not even compare me & Hardik Pandya- Riyan Parag
Speaking on The Ranveer Show podcast, Riyan Parag mentioned that he was in no position to give Hardik any sort of suggestions because the latter had already performed a lot for his country. He stated:
“I am nowhere near Hardik Pandya, first of all. Hardik has done insane things for our country. People forget that in a jiffy. Hardik has won you games in the World Cup and has won you trophies, so let’s not even compare me and Hardik.”
Hardik Pandya amassed 216 runs in the IPL 2024 for the Mumbai Indians and bagged 11 wickets with a costly economy rate of 10.75.
Riyan Parag on his conversation with Hardik Pandya
Riyan Parag scored an awesome 54* off 39 balls when Rajasthan Royals (RR) defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium in the IPL 2024 edition. After the end of the match, Riyan was seen exchanging words with Hardik Pandya.
This is what Riyan had to say about the conversation:
“All I was talking with him (Hardik) was how he was dealing with it (scrutiny), how I should be dealing with it if I was in a similar situation and basic cricket in general. That’s all I was talking about. He is one of the best cricketers in the world right now.”
Hardik Pandya came with a brilliant cameo of 40 runs in just 23 balls against Bangladesh in the warm-up match. His comeback might prove to be crucial for the Men in Blue’s long-awaited chance for the T20 World Cup crown.