"It Was 360 Turnaround": Hardik Pandya Opens Up On Wankhede Redemption

Hardik Pandya received a hostile reception from fans across the country in his first season as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain. Hardik was even booed by the fans of his own team, who were not happy with his elevation at the expense of long-serving captain Rohit Sharma's leadership being snatched away by the MI management. These tentions resulted in MI finishing bottom of the points table, with Hardik's leadership coming under heavy scrutiny.

Fast forward to March 2025, Hardik has managed to win over his critics, having helped India lift the T20 World Cup last year and the recently-concluded Champions Trophy.

Hardik was welcomed with loud cheers during India's T20 World Cup felicitation ceremony. With the wounds of the previous IPL campaign now healed, Hardik has opened up on his redemption journey.

"It's always about when you don't leave the battlefield. For me, it was about surviving, maybe not winning. That year was a year where, for the longest time, I had to hold my ground, not leave the battlefield which was the ground. I realised how everything was panning out, that cricket will be my best friend, and he will get me out of it," said Hardik Pandya during an episode of JioStar's 'Superstars'.

"Yeah, it kept, I kept pushing, kept pushing. And I think when all the hard work and everything came, I don't think I wouldn't be able to write a script, which it turned out to be in my life. That six months of my phase where winning the World Cup and coming back and getting the kind of love we got. I think it was a complete 360 turnaround for me. And I think cricket was something which I knew that if I be persistent, if I be honest with my work, if I be really hardworking, I think I'll be able to come out of this. But when I didn't know, as exactly said, it was written in the script by the God where it turned out to be two and a half months," he added.

Hardik also shared his views on MI's squad this year, sharing an insight into the team's auction strategy.

"This year, the goal was to get experience. I think you can see from the whole sheet where we wanted experienced bowling attack. Because Wankhede is where you get checked, and it can be quite intimidating playing in IPL in Mumbai, in Wankhede," said Hardik.

"And the wickets are generally high-scoring. So we wanted to focus on people who have a lot of experience at the same point of time, who have the swing, who have the bounce on that track, which we can get the most out of. And I think somehow we have, we have made a very gun team where top to bottom we have been able to fulfill. It's just that we all have to turn up now," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

Mumbai Indians India Cricket Team Hardik Pandya IPL 2025 Cricket