India match-winning performances in the T20 World Cup 2024, which made the detractors eat up their own remarks.
Star Indian all-arounder Hardik Pandya, who was severely criticised by fans and social media users during the IPL 2024, made a tremendous comeback. After replacing Rohit Sharma as the captain of the Mumbai Indians, the all-round player was the target of jeers and abuse anytime he walked into the stadium.
Notably, Hardik was named Man of the Match in the match against Bangladesh and produced the World Cup-defining over in the Final, holding South Africa to 16 runs in the final over. While everyone’s attention was focused on Hardik, his brother Krunal Pandya posted a touching message on Instagram. He continued by saying that his brother’s six-month ordeal of mistreatment was unwarranted.
“Hardik and I began playing professional cricket over ten years ago. And the past few days have been like something out of a fairy tale. With my brother at the centre, I’ve experienced this, like every other countryman, and I couldn’t be more emotional,” Krunal captioned the photo.
For Hardik, the past six months have been the hardest. I felt so terrible for him because, as a brother, I knew that he didn’t deserve what he went through. At the end of the day, we all forget that he is simply a human being with feelings, and that he is subject to booing and other unpleasant remarks. I know how difficult it was for him to put on a smile, but he managed to get through all of this with one. Since winning the World Cup was his ultimate goal, he continued to put in a lot of effort and concentrate on that task, he continued.
Check out Krunal Pandya’s latest Instagram post here:
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Indian pacers produce tense five overs.
With Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller hitting for maximum runs, Team India had to hold off 30 runs in as many deliveries to win the trophy. In the 17th over, Hardik Pandya sent a rampaging Klaasen packing, and on the first ball of the penultimate over, he dismissed Miller as well.
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Pacer Jasprit Bumrah did a commendable job of cleaning up Marco Jansen, bowling two overs at death and conceding just five runs. India won the match by seven runs thanks to a seven-run over in the middle from Arshdeep Singh.