Amid mounting criticism against Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, batting, and bowling, former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag has come to the all-rounder’s defense. The criticism has been relentless throughout the season, and it continued after MI suffered their fifth loss in the ongoing IPL 2024 season against the Rajasthan Royals. Reacting to the criticism, Sehwag sharply pointed out that previous captain Rohit Sharma had also struggled to deliver results, having failed to win the IPL trophy in the last three seasons.
Speaking to Cricbuzz after the RR-MI game in Jaipur, Sehwag responded to a question about whether the pressure was mounting on Pandya as an all-rounder. He acknowledged that Pandya may be feeling the heat due to the expectations surrounding him but emphasized that MI had faced similar situations in recent years, including in 2021 and 2022, where they failed to make the playoffs.
Sehwag highlighted that Rohit Sharma, during his tenure as captain for the previous three seasons, had also underperformed as a batter and failed to lead the team to a trophy win. He advised Pandya to avoid taking pressure and to instead bat higher up the order to make a more significant impact with his batting. Sehwag believes that if Pandya improves his batting numbers by playing in the top order or upper middle-order, his bowling and captaincy will naturally improve.
Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary, who was also part of the panel, expressed concerns about MI’s ability to bounce back from their current situation and qualify for the playoffs. He pointed out that while Rohit Sharma did not have a strong team in recent seasons, the players rallied behind him. In contrast, Tiwary believes that Hardik Pandya may not be receiving the same level of support from his fellow MI players, which could be a contributing factor to the team’s struggles.
Despite the criticism, Hardik Pandya will be eager to lead MI to a strong finish in the remaining matches of the IPL 2024 season. With a talented squad at his disposal, Pandya has the experience and leadership qualities to guide MI back to winning ways. Whether he can silence his critics and deliver silverware for MI remains to be seen, but Sehwag’s words of support will undoubtedly provide him with some much-needed encouragement.
