T20 World Cup 2024: ‘Hardik Pandya has gone through a lot’ – Harbhajan Singh expresses concern over all-rounder’s form

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh talked about the poor campaign of Hardik Pandya in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 for Mumbai Indians. He admitted that the all-rounder didn’t look like a free man in the last months but was quick to quip that he will be a different player in Indian colors. 

The past two months have been the worst for Hardik Pandya in his career. Captaining Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, the all-rounder looked clueless as the leader of the team and also his performances with the bat and ball looked torrid as he failed terribly throughout the entire tournament. 

Ahead of the IPL 2024, Hardik Pandya replaced Rohit Sharma as the captain of the team and he wasn’t welcomed by the fans as the all-rounder received a lot of boos wherever he played. His leadership was also criticized a lot as he made schoolboy errors, which wasn’t liked by many experts either. 

Fans didn’t accept Hardik Pandya as the captain of the team as they still chanted for Rohit Sharma as the team played. Even there were reports that some section of the Mumbai Indians players still looked up to Rohit as the captain and also some senior players didn’t like the way the all-rounder led the team in the tournament. 

Harbhajan Singh admitted that Hardik Pandya went through a lot in the IPL 2024 but he backed him to come good in the T20 World Cup 2024. He believes that if all-rounders have a great tournament then India will have a great chance of winning. 

The former India cricketer added that going into the tournament Hardik Pandya’s form will be a concern for the team. Before stating that the Mumbai Indians didn’t play as a team in the IPL 2024 but all-rounder and Rohit Sharma would come good for the nation. Speaking to PTI, he explained: 

“When he wears that blue jersey, he will be a different Hardik Pandya because we know he can score those runs and take those wickets. I want Hardik to come good as he has gone through a lot and I wish him all the very best to have a very good tournament for India. If he has a good tournament, obviously India will have a great chance to go forward. 

“Yes, his form is a bit of a concern…and a lot of other stuff was going on around him, his shifting from Gujarat to Mumbai, was a big change and the team (MI) didn’t react too well to Hardik coming back and that too as captain. It looked like they (MI) were not playing together as a team. So a lot was going on. Hardik wasn’t a free man in the last two months. I believe both of them and many others who have played in different teams will have to come together to do something special for the nation.”

Would urge the management to bring everyone together – Harbhajan Singh 

Harbhajan Singh further stressed that winning the World Cup would be a huge achievement and he also urged team management to bring all the players together. He added: 

“Winning a World Cup is a bigger achievement than winning an IPL trophy, so I would urge the management to bring everyone together, have them on one page and make sure they play like one. 

“I believe it’s the responsibility of the management to come together and win together. Even if they lose they should be losing together,” he concluded.