T20 World Cup 2024 | Hardik Pandya exorcises his demons at last

BRIDGETOWN (BARBADOS)It has to go down as one of the moments of the T20 World Cup. It actually came after the final ball had been delivered, after victory had been snatched (by India) and defeat courted (by South Africa). It transpired after tears were shed, after hugs and high fives were exchanged, after the shock of a heist was slowly replaced by the euphoria of being crowned World champions.

It has to go down as one of the moments of the T20 World Cup. It actually came after the final ball had been delivered, after victory had been snatched (by India) and defeat courted (by South Africa). It transpired after tears were shed, after hugs and high fives were exchanged, after the shock of a heist was slowly replaced by the euphoria of being crowned World champions.

It’s not an uncommon sight, especially in football. Generally, it happens when a player has scored a crucial goal – a scything run through the defence, or an equaliser at a vital time – or when the goalkeeper has pulled off a spectacular save, close-range or off a penalty kick. In cricket, not so much. In Indian cricket, almost unheard of.

We are referring, of course, to the kiss Rohit Sharma planted on Hardik Pandya’s cheek, not long after the latter had expertly closed out the final over of the T20 World Cup final at the Kensington Oval. In itself, it was huge, the ultimate show of thanksgiving and affection from the captain to his deputy. The subtext which preceded it lent it greater meaning and import; if Hardik hadn’t already traversed the spectrum from Villain No. 1 to an unquestioned hero after his death-over heroics, he was now back in public favour. Thanks in no small measure to his wonderful captain.

Things have been a little tense beyond the ambit of the Indian dressing room for about six months now, since Hardik supplanted Rohit as the captain of the Mumbai Indians franchise ahead of IPL 2024. It wasn’t a popular move, it didn’t go down well with the numerous fans of either MI or Gujarat Titans, who Hardik led with aplomb for two years, or of Rohit, affable and well-liked and with five IPL titles under his belt as captain.

Rohit had taken over the captaincy of the franchise from Ricky Ponting in the middle of a stuttering 2013 campaign, and immediately turned his team’s fortunes around by leading them to the title that same year. That sparked a remarkable run of successes in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, when Rohit became the only captain after Mahendra Singh Dhoni to successfully defend the IPL title. Tactically astute and blessed with exceptional man-management and leadership skills, Rohit was the peoples’ captain.

It wasn’t so much the fact that MI snatched away the captaincy from Rohit than how they did it that rankled the fans. If Rohit was party to that momentous decision, it hasn’t wended its way into public consciousness. MI had sound reasons to look beyond Rohit, also the Indian cross-format captain at the time who had just played a stellar individual role in his side’s march to the 50-over World Cup final at home. After all, they had the future to consider, and a mega auction was due ahead of the 2025 season. In Hardik, a prodigal son who had steered GT to the title in their maiden appearance and taken them to the final the following year, MI saw the perfect candidate to step into Rohit’s shoes. Hardik is both an excellent captain and a brand on his own, so it made cricketing and marketing sense to rope him in. The problem is, no one seemed to have told Rohit that.

Hardik had a terrible IPL. Terrible cricket-wise – 216 runs from 14 innings, highest of 46, and 11 wickets at an economy of 10.75 – but otherwise too. His team stumbled from one defeat to another, bringing up the foot of the table with just four wins from 14 outings. At various times, it looked like a disjointed bunch of individuals, though Rohit was nothing if not the consummate team man.