“He is a pretty strong personality”: West Indian legend on Hardik Pandya

West Indian legend praises Hardik Pandya's strong personality

Hardik came under a lot of fire after an abysmal IPL 2024 campaign with the Mumbai Indians which saw the 5 time IPL champions finish at the bottom of the table with just 4 victories in 14 matches. Hardik’s appointment as the Mumbai Indians captain ahead of the tournament was not taken well by a section of the fanbase and the disappointing results led to the crowd booing him at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

His selection in India’s T20 World Cup squad again sparked a lot of questions but West Indies’ legend, Ian Bishop believes that his ‘strong personality’ will help him shine in the tournament.

“I think he is a pretty strong personality. I would like to think that the other members of the team would have rallied around him. What he endured during the IPL, some of it was not of his own making. I just wish fans could have approached it maybe a little differently, but they have the right to voice their views however they see fit,” Bishop said on Star Sports.

Hardik slammed an explosive 23-ball 40 in the warm-up match against Bangladesh on Saturday before taking 3 wickets against Ireland in India’s opening match in the T20 World Cup 2024 on Wednesday. If he keeps up this good form then it’s safe to say that he will prove all his doubters wrong.

Hardik opened up on the difficult time that he faced over the past couple of months.

“Eventually, I believe, you have to stay in the battle. Sometimes life puts you in situations where things are tough, but I believe that if you leave the game or the field, the battle that is, you won’t get what you want from your sport, or the results you are looking for,” Hardik said.

“There are good times and bad times, these are phases that come and go. That is fine. I have gone through these phases many times and I will come out of it as well,” Hardik added.