It was a moment of redemption for Hardik Pandya, who had been at the receiving end of trolls and criticism for the past six months.
A harrowing IPL season saw the Mumbai Indians, under his captaincy, make an early exit from the tournament.
Coupled with whispers of marital discord, these challenges could have wrecked the self-confidence of any player.
However, like the proverbial Phoenix, Pandya rose from the ashes and helped his captain and the nation lift the ICC T20 Championship for the second time.
Post-match, a dewy-eyed Pandya spoke to a media house, saying he hadn’t spoken a word for the last six months.
He lamented that even strangers, who did not know a fraction of his personality, had been trolling him.
He added that he never lost his temper during this difficult period, which made the victory even sweeter.
Hardik Pandya’s challenging period
Everything had been going smoothly for Hardik Pandya during his two-year stint with the Gujarat Titans, where he also helped his franchise win the title in their debut season in 2022.
He was purchased by Mumbai Indians and, after he replaced Rohit Sharma as captain, became the target of a blitzkrieg of trolls.
MI had the worst season under his leadership, and he was constantly booed in the stadium where his team played.
However, all’s well that ends well, and he produced his best when it was most needed.
India would have faced a very difficult task had Hardik Pandya not removed the dangerous-looking Heinrich Klaasen in the ICC T20 final match.
In the post-match presentation, he opened his heart and revealed the trauma he had been going through in the past six months,
“It means a lot. It’s very emotional. We’d been working very hard, and something was not clicking. But today we got what the whole nation wanted. It’s more special for me, given how my last six months were. I haven’t spoken a word; things have been unfair. I knew that if I kept working hard, I could shine and do what I could do. Getting an opportunity like this makes it more special. We always believed it was just about executing our plans, staying calm, and letting the pressure come to them,”
Amazing Performance when needed the most
Hardik took 11 wickets at the T20 World Cup, and in the crucial finals against South Africa, he claimed three wickets and gave away only 20 runs in the last three overs.
It is the last time Rohit Sharma will be captaining the T20 team, and Hardik is expected to replace him as the team captain. Hardik Pandya was also full of praise for Jasprit Bumrah for his exceptional spell in the death overs. He was very appreciative of the role of the Indian Coach, Rahul Dravid.
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