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'He Will Perform Vs Pakistan,' Raina Shrugs Off Hardik Pandya's Form Woes For T20 WC

Akshita Patel

Suresh Raina defends Hardik Pandya ahead of T20 World Cup (X.com)Suresh Raina defends Hardik Pandya ahead of T20 World Cup (X.com)

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Despite a disaster Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) campaign, former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has backed Indian vice captain Hardik Pandya to turn things around in national colours at the T20 World Cup 2024 where India are scheduled to face arch rivals Pakistan.

Hardik Pandya’s life took a 360° turn following his decision to reunite with Mumbai Indians and replace Rohit Sharma as the captain of the successful franchise. 

The public sentiment towards Hardik turned negative as fans bombarded him with relentless boos, distasteful comments, and incessant social media trolling.

The criticism took a toll on Pandya’s form as he only scored 216 runs with a 143.04 strike rate and also additionally chipped in 11 wickets at an abysmal 10.75 economy. 

Moreover, with Hardik Pandya being appointed as India’s vice-captain for the impending T20 World Cup, concerns surrounding his present form were bound to rise. However, former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has completely dismissed the idea of Hardik Pandya being a failure at the ICC event.

Raina underscored Hardik’s consistency in national colours and stated that solely because of his temporary ill form, Hardik Pandya could not be perceived as a bad player.

In fact, Suresh Raina went on to predict that when Pandya scores runs against Pakistan, the same fans who are concerned now will cheer for him.

“He has done really well (for India). Temporary poor form does not make someone bad. When he will perform well against Pakistan in the World Cup, everyone will praise him,” Raina told ANI.

Notably, India-Pakistan’s high-voltage is scheduled for June 9 at the newly built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Long Island, New York. But before, India will face Ireland on June 5 to formally kick off the tournament campaign.