The preliminary squad of the Indian cricket team for the 2024 T20 World Cup will be decided by the end of April. Needless to say, while some names are automatically chosen, their form in the IPL 2024 gives a likely idea of their likely form in the T20 World Cup. With that in mind, the first four weeks of the IPL 2024 have raised some concerns. Topping the list is the form of Hardik Pandya. Being India's No.1 fast bowling all-rounder, Pandya is almost indispensable in the Indian limited-overs side.
However, the Mumbai Indians captain's performance at the IPL 2024 was far from satisfactory. Pandya has scored just 151 in eight matches so far, with a strike rate of 142.45. For a middle-order batsman like Pandya, those numbers in T20s don't bode well at all. With the ball too, he has taken just four wickets in eight matches.
Irfan Pathan, former star of the Indian cricket team, member of the 2007 T20 World Cup, brought together several
“Hardik Pandya's batting ability is deteriorating. That is a big concern if you look at it bigger. He is different at Wankhede, but on pitches where there is little help, that is what worries him,” Irfan Pathan wrote in a post on .
Hardik Pandya's batting ability is declining. That's a big concern in a bigger picture. He's different on the wank, but on pitches where there's little help, that's what worries him.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) April 22, 2024
Recently, former Indian cricket team player Robin Uthappa, also a member of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning team, spoke in detail about Hardik Pandya's ordeal on The Ranveer Show. Pandya has been under massive attack since he replaced Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain.
“He is a man who has the caliber and potential to become an all-time great player for the Indian team. He was let go by the team that discovered him, he went to another franchise. After playing 3-3 with them had won 4 titles, he left. He must have felt a bit bad; he went to GT, won one title and finished second in another,” said Uthappa.
“The mocking, the trolling, the memes about his condition. Don't you think it hurts him? It hurts him. It hurts every human being. How many people actually know the reality of it? Hardik is dealing with mental health issues because Sure. I understand that we as Indians are emotional. But it is not right to impose this kind of treatment on a human being. We should not laugh at it. We should not forward these memes.'
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