Hardik Pandya’s transformation from being booed at during the Wankhede crowd to being cheered epitomizes his remarkable reversal of fate. After delivering a winning over in the last T20 world cup final against South Africa, he had taken a great turn in his journey. Thus not only helped India carry away trophies but also won fans hearts.
Hardik faced criticism previously after taking over as captain for the Mumbai Indians instead of Rohit Sharma especially after their poor performance in IPL 2024. Nevertheless, his heroics in the T20 World Cup final gave him an altogether different image before the public’s eyes. Crowds filled Wankhede Stadium celebrating Rohit Sharma led victorious T20 World Cup team shouting “Hardik, Hardik” as they showed love for their star all-rounder.
In the final on July 29th, Hardik captured a total of three wickets while giving away just 20 runs including those of David Miller and half-centurion Heinrich Klaasen that proved instrumental in India’s seven-run win. He played an all-around role throughout this tournament; scoring 144 runs with more than 150 strike rate and grabbing 11 wickets thereby consistently providing breakthroughs under pressure.
Pandya’s top game was in the final, where he triggered a sensational South African collapse. In the last over of the match, with 30 runs required off 30 balls by South Africa, Pandya dismissed Klaasen on the first ball of that over and bowled a nerve-wracking final over defending 16 runs to help India claim its second T20 World Cup title.
After his brilliant performance at the World Cup, Pandya moved up a couple of places to be the first Indian at number one in the ICC’s T20I all rounders rankings. This confirmed that he is among cricket’s finest all-rounders.