It was a difficult Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 for Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya. On the field, Pandya had done little to flare the fumes of angst, but he had provoked Mumbai Indian fans by switching loyalties from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai. Pandya had led Titans to trophy in their inaugural season.
Rippling boos got louder when he played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where he was the prodigal son who displaced their beloved son (Rohit Sharma) as captain.
But as the year went on, Pandya turned his fortunes around after his match-winning performances in India’s T20 World Cup winning triumph. Pandya scored 144 runs and took 11 wickets in the global tournament as India reclaimed the T20 World Cup after 2007, ending India’s 13-year long ICC Trophy drought.
The all-rounder also played a key role in India’s ICC Champions Trophy triumph in Dubai, earlier this month.
Pandya had credited his perseverance and resilience towards cricket for winning the fans back.
“For me, it has always been about never leaving the battlefield,” Hardik Pandya said on JioHotstar.
“There have been phases in my career where my focus wasn’t necessarily on winning but on surviving and holding my ground.
“I realized that no matter what was happening around me, cricket would always be my greatest ally—it was my way forward.
“I kept pushing through, and when all the hard work finally paid off, it was beyond anything I could have scripted.
“The six-month phase where we won the World Cup, and then the kind of love and support I received upon returning—it was a complete 360-degree turnaround for me.
“Throughout that time, I knew that if I remained persistent, honest with my work, and gave my absolute best, I would come out stronger.
“I didn’t know exactly when that would happen, but as they say, destiny had its plan, and in my case, everything changed within two and a half months.”
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