Hardik Pandya heard them for the first time in Ahmedabad on March 24 in the first week of the Indian Premier League 2024. The boos that echoed around the gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium were understandable, of course. Pandya, the former captain of the title-winning Gujarat Titans, was back, but as the leader of his first IPL franchise, the Mumbai Indians.
However, it was surprising that the booing continued – four days later – in Hyderabad. The stadium in the southern Indian city was a neutral venue, with no offended Gujarat fans in sight. But maybe it was just an anomaly, a lingering hangover.
The Wankhede Stadium would surely have been safer territory as the home of Mumbai Indians and their loyal supporters, who were sure to rally behind their team and their young captain against the visiting Rajasthan Royals. However, when Pandya joined Sanju Samson in the middle for the coin toss, there was no mistaking it: the fans were booing their own captain.
It wasn't long before Pandya was back in the middle, this time to rescue his team's batting collapse at 20-4 in less than four overs. He made more runs than any of his teammates, but Rajasthan defeated Mumbai by six wickets. It was the third consecutive defeat for the five-time champions and not the last of the season, where they did terrible and finished last. Also the harassment of Pandya was just beginning.
The change from IPL sadness to India sadness
Nearly two months later, the atmosphere at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York was tense. It always is when India plays Pakistan. And this was a crucial Group A match at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
India had fought their way to 119 and Pakistan were on their way to victory, 73-2 in the 13th over and Fakhar Zaman started his innings in ominous fashion.
Pandya bowled to an uncomfortable bouncer, the kind that follows and cramps the batsman. Fakhar attempted a shot but instead put on the glove and Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, pacer, completed the catch. When Pandya struck another crucial blow to dismiss Shadab Khan in the 17th over, an overjoyed Indian captain Rohit Sharma hugged the all-rounder and lifted him into the air. India won the match 16 balls later.
As far as overall performances are concerned, Hardik Pandya's contributions in the T20 World Cup have been instrumental in helping India progress unbeaten into their semi-final clash with England in Guyana on Thursday.
He has scored the third-most runs for India (116 in six innings) behind Rohit (191) and Pant (167). They have reached a strike rate of 145, lower than Sharma's 159.16 but higher than Pant's 132.53. Of the 30 players who have scored the most runs, only two – Scotland's Brandon McMullen (70) and England's Harry Brook (120) – have averages higher than Pandya's 58, courtesy of his two unbeaten innings against Bangladesh. and Australia.
And then there's his bowling. Pandya has taken eight wickets for India, only behind Arshdeep Singh (15) and Jasprit Bumrah (11).
For a third or fourth choice bowler batting at number six, the 30-year-old's numbers are impressive, but his individual performances have also stood out.
A valuable 2-14 with the ball helped keep the United States in check in New York. As a lower-order finisher with the bat, Pandya's blistering 27-ball-50 lifted India's total to 196 against Bangladesh in the Super Eights and his 17-ball-27 against Australia was crucial in their 24-run victory.
keeping the faith
Along the way, Pandya has been applauded in stadiums by traveling fans and online by those watching from afar. It is a stark contrast to the boos that greeted him at home during the IPL.
The hostile treatment, stemming from Mumbai's decision to install him as captain in place of Rohit and intensified by his poor results, was unprecedented. This prompted former India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly to speak out in defense of Pandya, while former player Sanjay Manjrekar admonished fans to “behave”.
Cricket experts speculated as to why the hostility had broken out. In his initial seven-year stint with Mumbai, Pandya was part of a team that won four IPL titles, before leaving to captain the Gujarat Titans in 2022. He led them to victory in his first tournament in charge and the following year the Titans were runners-up to Chennai Super Kings.
But when Pandya was transferred back to Mumbai ahead of IPL 2024 and named captain, many fans saw the move as an affront to Rohit, who captains India in all three formats at the international level. The matter was not explicitly addressed publicly by Pandya, Rohit or Mumbai head coach Mark Boucher, deepening suspicions and fueling rumours.
As Mumbai finished the season at the bottom of the table, with four wins from 14 matches, with Pandya's personal figures of 216 runs at 18.00 and 11 wickets at an average of 34.18, he did little to appease the critics.
However, the BCCI kept faith with the all-rounder and selected him for India's T20 World Cup squad under Rohit's captaincy. It was not difficult to understand why, despite his meager results in the IPL.
'Hardik being Hardik'
When Pandya is fit and firing, he does a lot more than balance the team. He can be a one-man wrecking ball with bat in hand, crushing the opponent into submission with the ball. India has rarely produced powerful off-road machines, let alone one as destructive as a finisher.
Rohit underlined Pandya's importance after his unbeaten 50 against Bangladesh.
“Him batting well puts us in a good position,” the captain said. “Hardik being Hardik, we know what he is capable of. He is a very important player for us, if he can continue to do that, he will put us in good positions.”
As for his other discipline, India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey believes it is simply a case of Pandya rediscovering his rhythm.
“I think you can see that in the last one or two matches he bowled, if you compare the IPL and the current pace, as a bowler you can see he has the pace,” Mhambrey said. “It's about rhythm. And I think he has picked up the pace.”
His returns in the T20 World Cup suggest that he has been able to ignore any form issues and put aside any emotional distress he suffered during the IPL. That doesn't mean there won't be long-term effects from the scathing abuse he suffered at home, and we may never know the full extent of it.
Pandya has always been a flamboyant character on and off the field.
A flamboyant rock star of modern Indian cricket, he has also been touted as a possible future Indian captain, based on his two successful seasons with the Gujarat Titans.
He now represents his country under the captain he replaced at Mumbai Indians. He has sparked a tsunami of antagonism at home by playing for both cheering and booing fans, even in his own stadium.
If Pandya produces a crucial innings, a timely wicket, a spectacular catch or a crucial runout, taking India to the final and perhaps their first T20 World Cup in 11 years, the vitriolic boos will be nothing more than receding echoes.
For a country obsessed with the game, it has been a painfully long wait since the world title.
If the prodigal son returns home with a trophy in his hand, all will be forgiven and forgotten. After all, everyone loves a winner.
Never. Give. Above. 🇮🇳❤️ pic.twitter.com/E48l8y3kkM
-hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) June 9, 2024
