'I didn't say a word': Crying Hardik Pandya decries unfair treatment he faced in last six months

Hardik Pandya in tears after India’s victory© X (Twitter)

Emotional India star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who was in tears after Men in Blue won T20 World Cup glory, has opened up about the difficult six months leading up to the showpiece event and stated that he remained silent without saying a word. Speaking to the broadcaster after the match, Pandya reflected on the previous six months and revealed that he didn’t get angry once when things were going wrong, which is precisely why victory felt right to him. even more significant. Mumbai Indians (MI) fans and social media trolls have been very harsh on Pandya during the 2024 Indian Premier League.

MI brought back Pandya after a two-year stint with Gujarat Titans (GT), which involved winning the title in their debut season in 2022, but Rohit Sharma’s replacement as captain led to a massive social media backlash for the all-rounder and the franchise. Pandya was booed in stadiums across India during matches

Pandya said India were calm throughout the match and always believed they could win. Although he was mercilessly criticized during the Indian Premier League, on a personal and professional level he produced what could have been the World Cup-winning moment by dismissing Heinrich Klaasen.

“It means a lot. Very emotional, we worked very hard and something was wrong. But today we got what the whole nation wanted. More special for me, how my last 6 months have been, I haven’t spoken for a moment. I knew if I kept working hard I could shine and do what I could do. Getting an opportunity like this makes it even more special. We always thought it was just about executing our plans, staying calm and letting the pressure wash over them,” Pandya said during a post-match presentation.

As the pressure began to build, India came back into the match in the final over with Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah combining to produce a superb back-footed effort which helped India win the match by 7 runs. Bumrah was named Player of the Tournament for his outstanding 15 wickets.

“Credit to Jassi (Bumrah) and the other bowlers for those last 5 overs. I knew it wouldn’t help me if I wasn’t calm, I wanted to give 100% on every ball I bowled. I always enjoy the pressure. Very happy for him,” Pandya said.

The all-rounder expressed his happiness over the departure of head coach Rahul Dravid.

“He was a wonderful man, I really enjoyed working with him, to say goodbye to him like that is wonderful, I had a great relationship with him and became friends. I am very happy for all the support staff,” he added.

The stadium was filled with excitement. Drenched in enthusiasm, the Indian players rushed onto the pitch to join the celebrations as the dugout emptied. A loud cacophony of noise spread throughout the stadium as the crowd roared. Meanwhile, for South Africa, it was another heartbreak.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Topics discussed in this article