Just over a month ago during IPL 2024, things were not looking too good for Hardik Pandya. The captaincy change at the Mumbai Indians was not taken well by the fans and the allrounder was being jeered by stadium crowds. (More Cricket News)
It was not only the boos from the crowd that were going wrong. As a captain, Hardik's team was not winning. As a batter, Hardik was not scoring runs and as a bowler he was conceding them at a quick rate. The allrounder replaced a five-time trophy winning captain Rohit Sharma at MI and ended up with the wooden spoon.
Some fans even wanted him dropped. The Indian team management though stuck with Hardik. Now, just over a month later, it has all changed. Hardik Pandya has cemented his place as one of world's top limited overs allrounder and on Wednesday he became the first Indian to climb to the top of the allrounders list in ICC T20I rankings.
Hardik did not just win the trophy but also repaid the faith that the team put in him with 11 wickets and 144 runs in the tournament.
Though India defeated South Africa in thrilling final, Proteas legend Ab de Villiers could not stop praising the Baroda allrounder.
"What stands out for me are the big moments. A guy like Hardik Pandya who's been through a roller-coaster himself with Mumbai Indians – moving from Gujarat to Mumbai – and all the criticism he coped with, getting the ball from the captain in the final of the T20 World Cup. That was his moment to go like, 'You know what… all Indian fans out there, this is what I am about as a cricket player'," De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
"He made everyone proud out there. Even though I did not want him to succeed like that, I look back and have a lot of respect for that. He is a big man for a big moment and that's exactly the way he played. To all you Mumbai Indians fans out there who doubted him, I'm pretty sure he has secured a spot in your hearts for the future."
Hardik's pictures with moist eyes had gone viral after India's triumph in the T20 World Cup final. It showed how much that win meant for the allrounder who has had his fair share of critics right from the beginning of his international career.
