From being booed everywhere to leaving Indians amazed at his skills in the space of a month, Hardik Pandya has carved out a beautiful redemption story.
There were plenty of heart-warming moments during the manic celebrations following India’s first World Cup triumph in 13 years in Mumbai but one incident particularly caught my eye.
During Rohit Sharma’s speech at the Wankhede Stadium in front of a rapturous crowd, the skipper stopped midway as the chants geared towards his deputy Hardik, who immediately got up from his seat to take the applause in. "Hardiiiik, Hardik…Hardiiiik, Hardik" they went, almost like an unending tape recorder. Behind him, Suryakumar Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal cheered him on as Hardik bowed towards each stand with patience. It had been a long time coming.
The last six months had been a blurb for Hardik. The injuries were back and so were the accusations. He limped off the field after hurting his ankle while bowling during the ODI World Cup last year and was ruled out of the event eventually. Hardik was missed and Hardik was blamed - by small, unserious sections - for not prioritising international cricket. And when news came out that Hardik had replaced Rohit as the captain of Mumbai Indians for the 2024 season, pandemonium broke out.
Everywhere he went, he was called out for daring to dream beyond what the world thought he was capable of, for having ambitions and even for merely attempting to just do his job well. The hallowed Wankhede became a cauldron of toxicity, spewing casteist slurs and promoting uncouth slander towards a player who had been at the forefront in many of India’s most famous escapes.
Through it all, he continued smiling, sometimes excessively and at times forcibly, almost as a defence mechanism.
“The apologies should be louder than the disrespect was”
During the T20 World Cup, Hardik, finally away from the unnecessary noises he tried to drown out, had the space to find his lost mojo back. He made crucial runs and grabbed important wickets as focus shifted from him to the bigger stars.
He starred with the ball against Ireland and Pakistan and made quick cameos against Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Australia and England. And then, as destiny would have it, it all boiled down to him in the final. After some brilliant bowling from Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh to bring India back into the game, Hardik was left with 14 to defend on his last six balls with David Miller on strike. The moment that would decide if he would turn into a lifelong hero or continue his reign as Indian cricket’s pantomime villain.
A wide full toss up front was smacked down the ground. A six and it would have been all over for India, and Hardik, but Suryakumar held on to a sensational catch by the margin of probably a shoe size. In the end that is what separated Hardik from going back into oblivion again.
As he scripted his name in the quiz books, joining Mohinder Amarnath and Joginder Sharma as the India bowlers to send down World Cup-winning final deliveries, there was a sense of emptiness as we struggled with our immediate reactions. Too relieved to wildly celebrate, too excited to just soak it all in. As it turned out, it was a new-look Hardik who showed us what we were feeling, the kaleidoscope of feelings bursting through in the form of helpless, happy, stupid tears.
“This is special for me, how my last six months were, I have been very graceful in not speaking a word, things have been very unfair but I believed that if I keep working hard there will be a time when I would shine,” he would say minutes after powerlessly sinking to his knees.
Hardik Pandya explained what the T20 World Cup win meant for him.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) June 29, 2024
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As Team India landed in Mumbai following their pitstop in Delhi, the coveted trophy was carried out aloft by Hardik, who navigated through the sweat and rain with a beaming smile. It was as symbolic an image as it could get - the same supporters, having vilified Hardik by choosing to stand behind Rohit instead, were now cheering him on. Who knows, it could all have been engineered by Rohit himself, allowing Hardik to have his moment while sending a strong message against unhealthy fan clubs whose existence mainly relies on the ostracisation of different superstars. India are not a team of individual champion players but a champion team due to the collective efforts of every player involved.
Hardik does not fit into the definitions laid down. He believes in flamboyant living, having emerged from a humble background surviving on Maggi noodles. You might disapprove of his changing looks and base him on an obnoxious statement made years ago. While he admittedly changed post the comments and the ban, what did not was the extreme focus on his personal life.
In a country where individuals are asked to live according to their “aukaat” [status], aims to go higher in life have always come with their judgments, of which Hardik was the biggest victim, intensified when he donned an INR 80 lakh Patek Philippe Rose Gold Nautilus watch before getting wheeled in for back surgery in 2019. His moving to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans after reportedly being paid INR 100 crores further added to his unlikeable aura.
As the chatter died down and the boos were shushed away, Hardik shattered the masculine theories of "sakth launda [tough men]", embracing his emotions as they came, unfiltered and unabashed. Breaking through even the most entrenched bias, he completed probably cricket’s greatest redemption arc by standing tall through adversity and never once losing hope in his capabilities. That did warrant a hero’s welcome.
"Hardiiiik, Hardik."
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