Hardik Pandya’s tenure as Mumbai Indians captain has gotten off to a rocky start. The all-rounder, replacing the iconic Rohit Sharma, has faced a barrage of criticism on and off the field. Most recently, MS Dhoni dealt a heavy blow to Pandya’s bowling attack during the recently concluded MI vs CSK IPL 2024 clash. Dhoni smashed 20 runs off just 4 of Pandya’s deliveries, which proved detrimental for the hosts who lost the game by 20 runs.
Kevin Pietersen lambasts Hardik Pandya
Barring the result too, one just figures that all is not well with Hardik Pandya. He seems to be affected way to much with whatever is going on between him and the fans. That was visible in his performance with the bat and the ball, and of course his captaincy too.
Pietersen pointed out Pandya’s lack of a clear strategy when dealing with aggressive batsmen. He criticized the captain for not having a “Plan B” when the CSK batters were on fire. Pietersen went a step further, suggesting that the jeers Pandya has received from the crowd are massively impacting his performance.
Pietersen complained that Pandya is enacting to be happy but is getting hugely affected by the flak he is receiving from the fans. While talking to StarSports, the former English star batsman said, “And I actually think with Hardik Pandya everything away from the game is affecting him so much he is smiling too much when he is at the toss. He acts like he is so happy. He is not happy. I’ve been there. I’ve been in the firing line as well. It’s what happening to Hardik Pandya. It hurts him. Because he has emotion. He is an Indian player and doesn’t want to be treated like this.” He further stated that, “It’s affecting him. It’s affecting his cricket. And something needs to happen.”
With Mumbai Indians currently struggling in the IPL standings (8th) and Pandya facing pressure from both fans and pundits, it will be interesting to see how the new captain responds.
