NEW DELHI:
Hardik Pandya
, the star all-rounder who played a pivotal role in India's
T20 World Cup
triumph, shared his thoughts on the challenging six months leading up to the tournament.
Despite facing public criticism and boos throughout the previous months, the 30-year-old maintained his composure and let his performance do the talking.
Pandya revealed that he had not lost his temper once during the difficult times, which made the victory even more significant.
Mumbai Indians fans and social media trolls had been particularly harsh on Pandya during the IPL 2024 season.
After a successful two-year stint with Gujarat Titans, which included winning the title in their debut season in 2022, Pandya returned to Mumbai Indians.
However, his appointment as captain, replacing Rohit Sharma, led to a massive backlash from fans on social media and in stadiums across India. Despite the criticism, Pandya remained focused on his game and ultimately proved his worth on the international stage.
During a meeting with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
at his residence on Thursday, Pandya shared insights about the Indian team's mindset during the World Cup final. Pandya emphasized that the team remained composed and confident in their ability to secure victory, even in challenging moments.
Pandya, who faced significant criticism and trolling during the IPL, both personally and professionally, delivered a potentially game-changing performance in the final. His crucial dismissal of Heinrich Klaasen may have been the turning point that propelled India to lift the World Cup trophy.
"The last 6 months have been very entertaining for me, there have been a lot of ups and downs and the public booed me. A lot of things happened and I always felt that if I give any answer, it would be through sports... So I believed that I would stay strong, will work hard," Hardik Pandya said during an interaction with PM Modi at the Prime Minister's residence in Delhi.
India pacer
Jasprit Bumrah
got his hands on his first ICC World Cup trophy after India's success in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa in Barbados. During his interaction with PM Modi, the pacer said bowling in crucial and difficult situations helped him gain confidence that he carry forward.
Jasprit Bumrah achieved a significant milestone by securing his maiden ICC World Cup title following India's triumphant campaign against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados. In a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, Bumrah shared his thoughts on the experience.
"Whenever I bowl for India, I bowl in very crucial stages. Whenever the situation is difficult, I have to bowl in that situation. So I feel very good when I am able to help the team and if I am able to win the match from any difficult situation, then I get a lot of confidence and I carry that confidence forward as well. And especially in this tournament, there were many situations where I had to bowl tough overs and I was able to help the team and win the match," Bumrah said.
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