Hardik Pandya in tears: “The last six months have been unfair”; Rohit Sharma embraces the all-rounder

The “unfair” comment came after Pandya’s tumultuous few months in the Indian Premier League, when he was booed relentlessly when he replaced Rohit Sharma as captain of the Mumbai Indians franchise.

India T20 World Cup Hardik Pandya Rohit Sharma Rohit Sharma plants a kiss on Hardik Pandya’s cheek after India won the World Cup. (X)

Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma shared a heartwarming hug with the Indian skipper planting a kiss on Pandya’s cheek after India won the T20 World Cup for the second time in their history, ending an 11-year drought for the ICC trophy.

“It means a lot. Very emotional, we worked very hard and something didn’t work. But today we got what the whole nation wanted. Special for me after my six months, I didn’t say a Word, things have been unfair, but I knew there would be a moment where I could shine. An opportunity like this makes it even more special,” Pandya reacted after the match.

The ‘unfair’ comment came after Pandya’s tumultuous few months in the Indian Premier League when he was booed relentlessly when he replaced Rohit Sharma as captain of the Mumbai Indians franchise after being traded by the Gujarat Titans.

Pandya was also full of praise for outgoing coach Rahul Dravid, whose tenure ends after this tournament. “I am very happy for him, he was a wonderful man, I really enjoyed working with him, to bid him farewell like this is wonderful, I had a very good relationship with him and we became friends. I am very happy for all the support staff,” the all-rounder said.

After the World Cup victory, in the post-match speech, Rohit praised his Indian team vice-captain by saying that the all-rounder was “also brilliant, bowling that last over”.

In the match, India stunned South Africa to win their second ICC T20 World Cup title with a seven-run win at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday.

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First published online on: 30-06-2024 at 01:20 IST