Pandya’s return to Mumbai Indians (MI) replacing Rohit Sharma as skipper initially sparked anger among fans.The transition was not well-received, and Pandya faced the brunt of the fans’ discontent. It had a detrimental effect on his personal game, besides five-time IPL champions MI enduring one of their poorest seasons.
Additionally, there were unconfirmed reports of a separation from his wife, Natasa Stankovic, adding to the personal challenges he faced.
When Pandya first led the Mumbai Indians side in Ahmedabad for their season opener, he was met with boos, heckles, and negativity from the fans. Even at his first home match at the Wankhede Stadium, the harshest response awaited him during the toss. The situation escalated to the point where commentator and former India and Mumbai cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar had to intervene, urging the crowd to “behave” during a toss against Rajasthan Royals.
However, the tide turned dramatically with Pandya delivering India’s T20 World Cup-winning over in the final against South Africa, ending with three wickets to lead India’s bowling charts in the title clash.
As Pandya landed at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursdya after India’s victory parade through the Marine Drive in Mumbai, he was greeted by deafening cheers from a vast sea of fans filling the stadium. The past negativity had been replaced by overwhelming support and admiration for the resilient cricketer who had overcome so much to reach this point.
“See you soon, Wankhede,” wrote the World Cup champion as he posted his selfie with the trophy before the parade here.
The stadium erupted with chants of ‘Hardik… Hardik’, echoing through the stands.
As the team arrived at the airport, Pandya was among the first to emerge, proudly holding the trophy high on his shoulder. He led the way to his ‘homeground’, where thousands of fans had been waiting for hours to catch a glimpse of the coveted prize.
Despite concerns about potential chaos and stampedes, the atmosphere remained celebratory as everyone came together to cheer for India’s heroes. Pandya joined the open bus ride for a couple of hours before making his way to the Wankhede Stadium.
Virat Kohli, during his speech, highlighted Suryakumar Yadav’s crucial catch in the final over, which was off Pandya’s bowling. The mention of this moment triggered thunderous cheers from the Wankhede crowd, who united in their appreciation for Pandya’s performance, chanting ‘Hardik… Hardik’ in unison.
“The biggest turnaround happened in terms of (when) he was included. We could bat deep and we had an extra bowling option. In last ODI World Cup final we missed him,” a fan said, talking to PTI.
“The biggest testament is Hardik’s mental strength, he was booed in the (first game) here against CSK. But still he did not hit back, kept his head down and kept working.
“All the hate he got was unwarranted. The owners took him in, he had nothing to do with it. There was no point booing him…Obviously, we did not qualify (for the IPL 2024 playoffs) but we are just here to celebrate him and smile all day,” he added.
“The problem with us MI fans is that we have very short memories. Now we are going to cheer ‘Mumbaicha Raja Hardik Hardik’. We will accept him as MI captain now,” he said.
“IPL is different from international cricket, it is purely entertainment cricket. I am happy for him, he scored runs and took wickets that too at the crucial times. We needed that (Heinrich) Klaasen wicket (in the final),” said another fan Srinivas Reddy, who finished work in his job at a bank in Hyderabad at 3:30 am and caught an early morning flight to Mumbai.