‘Hardik Pandya’s Performances Affected Because He Lost India T20 Captaincy To Rohit Sharma’: Explosive Remark From Former Pakistan Cricketer

Hardik Pandya's captaincy for Mumbai Indians (MI) has come under renewed scrutiny following their loss to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2024 encounter. While defeats are part of the game, some of Pandya's decisions in this high-scoring match raised eyebrows among fans and analysts alike. Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan was among the first to react to the result and pointed out how Pandya's leadership was flawed.

"The team Mumbai Indians that qualified last year didn’t have Jasprit Bumrah, but this season, they had his services. Still they are in this situation. Purely because the team wasn’t managed well on the ground. Too many mistakes by their captain Hardik Pandya. It’s the truth.," Pathan wrote on X.

While Pandya blamed the top-order for the defeat, citing the loss of early wickets, it was a tough outing for him as well after being dismissed for a golden duck in the sixth over. After the game, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali tore into Pandya's performances and put the blame squarely on the MI captain for his team's dismal performances. He also said that not getting the T20 captaincy of the Indian cricket team has affected the Baroda lad.

"Mumbai Indians lost another match, but I think the mindset has cost them. The way Pandya was made captain before the start of the season, plus Pandya's performance, has also not been up to the mark this year. These factors have contributed to MI's downfall," said former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali on his YouTube channel.

"After the culmination of the 50-over World Cup, Pandya thought he would be the T20 captain of India, and that is why he came to Mumbai. But when BCCI announced that Rohit Sharma will continue leading India, Pandya was probably confused. This is why his performance was affected.

He has been very poor as a captain, and only Rohit Sharma can help him," Ali concluded.