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Hardik Pandya’s elder brother Krunal shared a glimpse of a jam-packed crowd in Baroda to welcome the former in his hometown on Monday, July 17.
Krunal accompanied Hardik for a roadshow, where cricket fans turned out in large numbers, chanting ‘Hardik Hardik’ to welcome their local hero. The change in the hearts of the local fans came as Hardik played a pivotal role in helping India win the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Krunal Pandya shared a video of Hardik’s rousing reception in Baroda with a heart emoji. Hardik Pandya was also seen in an open bus with Krunal.
Watch the video below:
Hardik bagged 11 wickets in eight matches at the ICC event. With the bat, he scored 144 runs in six outings at a strike rate of 151.57. The 30-year-old bagged three wickets in the final against South Africa, including the prized scalp of David Miller in the last over while defending 16 runs.
Pandya’s change in fortunes came after a forgetful IPL campaign, where a large section of Mumbai and Gujarat fans booed him for leaving the Gujarat Titans and joining the Mumbai Indians. Fans, in particular, expressed their anger as Hardik replaced Rohit Sharma as MI captain ahead of IPL 2024 during the T20 event.
“More special for me, how my last 6 months were” – When Hardik Pandya broke down after India won 2024 T20 World Cup
Hardik Pandya showed a flurry of emotion after India beat South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup. The star all-rounder shed happy tears after his redemption from IPL 2024’s failure to World Cup success.
He said (via Cricbuzz):
“It means a lot. Very emotional, we’ve been working very hard but something was not clicking, but today was the day we fulfilled what the whole nation wanted."
"More special for me, how my last 6 months were, I have been very graceful of not speaking a word, things have been very unfair but I believed that if I keep working hard there will be a time where I would shine and do what I could do. That sums everything up,” he added.
Hardik Pandya is the favorite to lead India in T20Is after Rohit retired from the shortest format after guiding India to the ICC trophy after an 11-year gap. He might lead the Men in Blue in the upcoming three-match T20I series on the Sri Lanka tour.
