India’s interim T20I captain Hardik Pandya faced severe heat and backlash from the fans following India’s T20I series loss against the West Indies. West Indies – a team that had failed to qualify for the main Super 12 round of last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia, and a side with similar personnel failed to get out of the World Cup 2023 Qualifiers in Zimbabwe a month ago and would not play the ODI World Cup for the first time in their history.
Even though India were without a few of their own first-choice players, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj, and Rishabh Pant, this loss, and the timid manner of Hardik Pandya’s captaincy hurt the fans.
What has also irked the ire of the fans in recent times regarding Hardik Pandya are some of the “silly” comments that he’s made.
Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad, who is very vocal these days in regards to Team India on Twitter, slammed the management headed by coach Rahul Dravid and captain Hardik Pandya, and Prasad also taunted the “silly” comments that have been thrown after losses in the past year or so.
India has been a very very ordinary limited overs side for sometime now. They have been humbled by a West Indies side that failed to qualify for the T20 WC few months back. We had also lost to Ban in the ODI series. Hope they introspect instead of making silly statements #IndvWI
— Venkatesh Prasad (@venkateshprasad) August 13, 2023
Hardik Pandya, who was once suspended from Team India a few years ago for his sexiest comments on a coffee show with KL Rahul, has gotten on the wrong side of the Indian fans in recent times, especially since he took over Gujarat Titans’ captaincy last year and became a vice-captain of Indian white-ball team, because of some of the remarks and statements that he’s given.
Here are 3 really cringy comments that Hardik Pandya has made in recent years:
“We can pick two more teams and win any competition in the world”
If this isn’t overconfidence and arrogance, then what is?
A couple of years ago in July 2021, the BCCI sent a second-string side to Sri Lanka for ODI and T20I matches as many of the first-choice players were in England for the Test series. This bunch that went to Sri Lanka included a number of fringe, young, and also uncapped players who have done well in IPL and domestic cricket.
Yes, India’s depth of talent pool is enviable for other cricket nations. But to basically boast that India’s second-string and third-string teams can “win any competition in the world” was too much, but maybe not from Hardik Pandya.
After that, India crashed out of group stage in 2021 T20 World Cup, failed to reach the finals of the Asia Cup 2022 and T20 World Cup 2022, lost ODI series to Bangladesh, lost ODI series to South Africa and Australia, and now a second-string unit lost T20I series to West Indies.
That comment from Hardik Pandya certaintly aged horribly for himself and for Team India.
“It’s okay to be unique”
This is now a proper meme template that fans used excessively after India lost their first bilateral series to West Indies in 17 years (minimum 3 matches).
This comment from Hardik Pandya came at the toss in the third ODI against West Indies. He was leading the side in the series-decider with the series level at 1-1. When the host asked him that if India loses today, this series loss would be on his name, the attitude-filled Pandya replied: “It’s okay to be unique”
India won that 3rd ODI and the series, but this remark from Pandya came to bite him back after the T20I series loss.
— Jatin Khandelwal (@Jatin_Cricket_) August 13, 2023
“Sometimes losing is good” and “one series [loss] here and there is fine”
With his comment of “one series [loss] here and there is fine” after losing the T20I series to West Indies, Hardik Pandya basically disrespected the West Indies team, indicating that they don’t care about losing to the West Indies side with their second-string unit.
Would Pandya have had the gall to say something like this after a series loss to bigger nation like England or Australia or after crashing out of a multi-team event.
