Going into the new edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, the major focus from India’s point of view was on their supreme all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, who was going through a bad patch in current life, both on and off the field.
The vice-captain of India’s 15-member squad, Hardik Pandya was effected badly with the behavior of the crowd during the 20-over league, after he was traded from Gujarat Titans (GT) to Mumbai Indians (MI), and later replaced one of the successful captains of the league Rohit Sharma.
Later, news came how his personal life too was effected as the all-rounder looked to get in his old touch during the India’s one and only warm-up fixture against Bangladesh, ahead of the ongoing T20 tournament.
Ian Bishop praises the strong personality of Hardik Pandya
The Gujrat-born came in this tournament after a struggling IPL 2024, where he could smash only 216 runs in 14 innings at an average of only 18, and a strike rate of 143.05, with a best score of 143.05. On many occasions, coming down the batting order, he failed to offer Mumbai the right momentum with the ball.
Even in the bowling department, Pandya struggled to take wickets, as he picked up only 11 wickets in 14 games at a bowling average of 35.18 and an economy of 10.75, with a best bowling figure of 3/31. His captaincy too looked quite mediocre, as some of his decisions like denying Jasprit Bumrah the first over of the innings, or a few wrong team combination raised the eyebrows.
As a result of all the factors, the five-time champions, Mumbai finished the 17th season of the tournament with the wooden spoon, having won only four of their 14 games.
However, during the warm-up game against the neighboring country, Hardik Panyda impressed for his unbeaten knock of 40-runs in 23 balls, shouldering on a couple of boundaries and four sixes, at a strike rate of 173.91, besides ending with 1/30 in three overs.
What he did in that morning at the Nassau County International Stadium was showing his class, and aggression from the start of his batting, of taking on the spinners.
Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop feels that Hardik Pandya has perhaps set his eyes to the goal of T20 World Cup, after moving on from the disturbing IPL 2024.
While speaking after Namibia’s super-over win over Oman at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, Bishop remarked on Pandya’s outing, and trusts that the whole Indian cricket team must have supported him after he joined the troop in New York.
‘I think he (Hardik Pandya) is a pretty strong personality. I would like to think that the other members of the team would have rallied around him. What he endured during the IPL, some of it was not of his own making. I just wish fans could have approached it maybe a little differently, but they have the right to voice their views however they see fit,” Renowned commentator, Ian Bishop expressed during the discussion.
The veteran also reflected on how Hardik’s strong character will help him to focus on the upcoming month in the T20 Internationals.
‘I am sure he has moved on now to what is the biggest stage in T20 international cricket and that whole picture is ahead of us. But he is a strong guy,” 56-year-old observed.
It’s also very important for the team that both Hardik and Rohit Sharma come on the same page during the competition, as the national team aim to get their second title after lifting the trophy in the very first season in 2007.