Hardik Pandya took home numerous flowers for leading a youthful squad to victory in 2022 and 2023 after winning the trophy in the former year and placing second in the latter. But after a year, the all-rounder is receiving harsh criticism, particularly for his decisions. Following a fruitful 2023 season, Pandya changed teams and rejoined the Mumbai Indians, the team he had left before the 2022 season. Their reunion was not happy, though, as Mumbai was the first club eliminated from the competition and failed to make the playoffs in 2024.
Remarkably, former cricketer AB de Villiers stated that Hardik’s captaincy isn’t popular with the team’s older members following their early elimination. The former cricket player thinks that his approach is appropriate for a young squad, but Hardik’s bold and egocentric captaincy doesn’t work for a team like Mumbai, which has a lot of veteran players.
“Hardik Pandya has a very brash captaincy style. It’s kind of egocentric, chest out.
AB de Villiers posted on his YouTube channel, “I don’t think his style of walking the pitch is always genuine, but he has decided that is his way of captaincy.”
Similar like MS, almost. Calm, collected, always got your heart out there. However, they don’t buy into that when you play with a lot of seasoned players—guys who have been in the game for a very long time. It was a youthful crew at GT where it operated. Inexperienced athletes occasionally enjoy following that style of leadership, he continued.
The former Proteas captain continued by saying that Hardik Pandya doesn’t have to be egotistical and should approach Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma for some tactical assistance. He added that he could relate to Hardik Pandya since he, too, used to play with his chest out, and that he loved to see him.
There’s a Bumrah and a Rohit now. It’s like, all we need is for you to be at ease. Please share your thoughts with us on how to win games. The boldness is not necessary. It’s not like I’m going after Hardik. I enjoy seeing him play so much. The 40-year-old continued, “I love him putting out his chest because I was like that.”
India
