How Rohit Sharma backed Hardik Pandya
How Rohit Sharma backed Hardik Pandya: A young and talented player will become a big star in future if the captain backs those players and we have seen many instances of the same.
Who can forget how MS Dhoni used to back Rohit Sharma when he was new and was not delivering to his potential?
Dhoni, the skipper of team India at the time, then asked him to open the innings for India, and Rohit is now considered as one of the best openers in the history of cricket.
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How Rohit Sharma backed Hardik Pandya?
And Rohit Sharma then supports Hardik Pandya in Indian Premier League; the same Pandya is now leading the MI, which won 5 titles under Rohit – a joint record for most wins in the cash-rich league.
When did Hardik Pandya debut in IPL?
Hardik Pandya joined the Mumbai Indians camp in 2015 and played 9 games for them. Pandya’s debut did not go well in that season, he managed to score 112 runs with the bat and took only a wicket with the ball.
His performance was worse in 2016, when he played 11 games and scored only 44 runs and grabbed 3 scalps.
The management and skipper Rohit Sharma, however, backed him, and gave Pandya another chance to prove himself.
Pandya featured in all MI games in 2017 and touched 250-mark which was decent.
He managed to collect 260 runs in 2018 and bagged 18 wickets with the ball to announce himself as a proper all-round player.
2019 was his best year with both bat and ball, and for the first time he crossed the 400-run mark.
Hardik remained a member of Mumbai Indians for 7 straight seasons before the franchise released him ahead of the mega auction in 2022.
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The rise of Pandya the captain
Pandya’s new team was a turning point in his career. Gujarat Titans trust on the first-time skipper paid off, as Pandya led GT to the title in their first appearance in IPL 2022.
GT reached its second successive IPL final in 2023 before losing to MSD’s CSK on the last ball of the game.
His stint with GT raised his stature on the international front as well. As right after the IPL 2022 he was appointed India’s captain for Ireland tour. He captained the side in New Zealand in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma.
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The biggest day for Pandya came when the team for ODI World Cup announced, and he was appointed as the vice-captain of the team India.
His injury, however, again forced him to league another big tournament in between.
And after a 4-month recovery, Pandya is back in Mumbai Indians and is leading the side in IPL 2024, while Rohit Sharma, who backed him during his initial days, playing as a player in the team.
