Bridgetown (Barbados): The Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya played a pivotal role in India’s triumph over South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 by seven runs. Hardik was seen getting emotional after the win and revealed that the six months leading to the event were challenging for him and he had kept quiet while not speaking a word. The Indian all-rounder picked three wickets and helped the Men in Blue seal a victory.
Mumbai Indians (MI) brought back Hardik to their franchise this season from Gujarat Titans and he was handed reigns while replacing Rohit. The move from the franchise received a lot of backlash on social media and the 30-year-old was also criticised on social media. Also, he was booed across the stadiums during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
"It means a lot. Very emotional, we’d been working very hard and something was not clicking. But today we got what the whole nation wanted. Special for me after six months, I haven’t spoken a word, things have been unfair, but I knew there’d be a time I could shine. An opportunity like this makes it all the more special,” Pandya reacted after the match while speaking to the broadcasters.
Pandya stated that he believes in answering critics with his actions rather than words.
"I believe in being graceful. A lot about me was said. Even when nobody knew one per cent of who Hardik Pandya is, a lot of people talked about me which is fine. I have always believed that, in life, you don't always need to answer with words, you can do it with your action. When times were tough, I told myself that this won't continue for long," he told PTI after the game.
The development in MI captaincy had started the talk that there is a banter going on between Rohit and Hardik. However, Rohit’s gesture on June 29 showed that all these discussions are not true. Just when Hardik was speaking to the broadcasters, Rohit came towards him and planted a kiss on Pandya’s cheek.
The bond between these two was evident also when the team were posing for a photo with the trophy. Rohit was speaking to the broadcasters and Hardik told him to wrap up the interaction and join the team as early as possible.
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