Hardik Pandya was abused and trolled in 2024 when he made it back to the Mumbai Indians (MI) as captain. MI finished rock bottom and Pandya was blamed. He soaked it all in and is now on the verge of leading his team to the final. Tonight (Sunday) could he his moment.
It was sometime in early March 2022 at 5:30am and Pandya was up and running for the day. He was all set to go out and train and it was part of a rigorous daily routine building up to the IPL. Pandya, by his own admission, needed a break after the 2021 world T-20 and recalibrate. Pandya not bowling had become a major controversy and to a degree he had to cop the blame for India’s failure to go past the group stages of the World Cup in Dubai. He had to redeem himself and set the record straight. He had to make the IPL platform count. As captain of the newly formed Gujarat Titans, he had the opportunity to make a telling statement. Prove himself as India’s go to all-rounder in white ball cricket and regain the finisher’s spot in India’s white-ball set up. Needless to say he did so in style in the IPL. From leading the Titans to the finals to playing a number of impactful innings to bowling at 140kmph, Pandya was the star of IPL 2022.
But then again Pandya and his move from Gujarat to Mumbai unleashed a slew of abuse on social media. He was for a while the most hated man in Indian cricket and with MI not doing well in 2024, it all boiled down to Pandya. Finishing at the bottom of the pool was not the result fans would brook and the MI captain, who was yet to be accepted by the supporters, bore the brunt of fan ire. He was even booed at the Wankhede and things had just come to a pass.
For anyone it would be hard. For Pandya more so. He was a Mumbai player and back at home he expected better. It was a stinging indictment and he needed time to come to terms with it all.
The all-rounder, who has time and again faced controversy, knew performance is the only way of shutting these people up. He did superbly for India in the 2024 World T20 and waited his time for IPL 2025. In all of this what stood out is Pandya the captain. Not simply with bat and ball, he has been excellent on the field and taken some excellent leadership calls, which, in time, could easily catapult him to a leadership role within the Indian team yet again.
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His cameo against GT for example was as important as Rohit’s stellar act at the top or Bumrah’s spell. That last over where Pandya plundered three sixes was the difference in the end.
Just like every other human he has made many mistakes in the past. For a 27-28 year old to deal with stardom isn’t easy. Money, glamour and fame aren’t easy bedfellows and there are many who aren’t ready to deal with them all. Pandya is a classic example. All of a sudden he had it all. In the course of the last five years, he has become a multi millionaire with millions looking up to him as a role model. He is the perfect underdog story. Rags to riches. People seek him out for autographs, want to pose for pictures with him and share the same social space with him. He is an Indian national team cricketer, who justly is one in a billion. It is a heady world, which also has its flipsides. You tend to overlook the responsibilities that come with it, you tend to get swept away by the gloss and it makes one feel you can get away with it all.
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Importantly for MI and Indian cricket Pandya 2.0 is a more mature version of what we have seen of him earlier. No more the impulsiveness of the past or the exuberance of youth. There is a certain calm, which means no more sensational comments on TV shows or press conferences. He knows what his goal is and why he is doing what he is doing. Playing the IPL is just a step on the route to achieving greater laurels.
On Sunday it is expected to be no different. Against Punjab, he will know the stakes are at their highest. He can’t fail for then the dream is over. A win here and he will be in the final and have a crack at redemption. From finishing at the bottom to winning the IPL has a certain magic to it and knowing Pandya he will leave no stone unturned to get there and make history.
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