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‘Will Be A Different Hardik…’ Harbhajan Backs India's Trump Card For T20 World Cup 2024

Hardik Pandya as MI captain during IPL 2024 (X.com)Hardik Pandya as MI captain during IPL 2024 (X.com)

Harbhajan Singh has backed struggling all-rounder Hardik Pandya to come up clutch for Team India at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. Harbhajan believes that Hardik becomes a different cricketer altogether for the national team, and the former Indian off-spinner also extended his best wishes for the all-rounder ahead of the multi-nation tournament.

Harbhajan Singh says Hardik’s form crucial for India

Hardik Pandya was appointed as Mumbai Indians captain for IPL 2024, thus replacing decade-long skipper and five-time winner Rohit Sharma in the process. Under his leadership, the Mumbai Indians franchise finished at the bottom of the 10-team points table, securing just four wins from 14 league games.

Moreover, Hardik Pandya also failed to put up a cohesive all-round performance, finishing with 216 runs from 13 innings with the bat at an abysmal average of 18 and taking just 11 wickets from 12 innings with expensive average and economy rates.

Despite Pandya’s recent struggles, former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh believes the all-rounder will deliver the goods for the national side at the 2024 T20 World Cup. Harbhajan also extended his best wishes for the senior Indian cricketer, and claimed that his form will place the ‘Men in Blue’ in good stead in the tournament. While speaking with the PTI, the cricketer-turned-commentator said:

“When he wears that blue jersey, he will be a different Hardik Pandya because we know he can score those runs and take those wickets. I want Hardik to come good as he has gone through a lot and I wish him all the very best to have a very good tournament for India."

"If he has a good tournament, obviously India will have a great chance to go forward. Yes, his form is a bit of a concern, and a lot of other stuff was going on around him, his shifting from Gujarat to Mumbai was a big change and the team didn’t react too well to Hardik coming back and that too as captain.”

Hardik Pandya will soon be expected to join his teammates in New York in time for India’s lone warm-up game against Bangladesh on June 1.

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team will subsequently go up against Ireland in their first match of the 2024 T20 World Cup on June 5 at New York’s Nassau County International Stadium.