NEW DELHI: India all-rounder and vice-captain
Hardik Pandya
has recently been the subject of significant speculation regarding his personal life. On the professional front, Pandya has faced considerable challenges, particularly during the recent Indian Premier League season.
Pandya took over the captaincy of the Mumbai Indians from Team India skipper
Rohit Sharma
before the start of the IPL.
This decision did not sit well with MI fans, leading to Pandya being booed multiple times during the tournament. Under his leadership, the five-time champions not only failed to qualify for the playoffs but also finished last in the 10-team tournament's league stage.
Amidst the scrutiny and speculation, Pandya posted pictures of the first training session of Team India in New York for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
He captioned the photos with a three-word announcement: "On national duty."
This post signals that Pandya has joined his teammates in New York and is ready for the upcoming mega event, co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies.
The
Indian cricket team
has begun their preparations in New York for the ICC
2024 T20 World Cup
, scheduled to start on June 2.
The first batch of Indian cricketers, including captain Rohit Sharma,
Jasprit Bumrah
, Suryakumar Yadav, and head coach Rahul Dravid, arrived in New York a few days ago and have now started their training sessions.
Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah shared pictures on social media, showing the cricketers jogging and training, highlighting the team's early efforts to get into peak condition. Suryakumar Yadav also shared images from their initial training sessions.
The Men in Blue have been placed in Group A alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, co-hosts USA, Ireland, and Canada. They will begin their World Cup campaign against Ireland in New York on June 5.
Before the main event, the Indian team is set to play a warm-up game against Bangladesh on June 1.
India's only T20 World Cup victory came in 2007 under the leadership of MS Dhoni, when they defeated Pakistan in the final in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the inaugural edition of the tournament. The current squad is eager to replicate that success and bring the trophy home once again.
English (US) ·