Hardik Pandya was welcomed as a hero in his hometown of Vadodara after his all-round performance played a pivotal role in securing India’s victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup last month. In a video that quickly went viral, Hardik is seen standing atop an open bus, donning India’s ODI jersey and waving to an ecstatic crowd lining the streets.
The banner at the front of the bus proudly read ‘Pride of Vadodara’, which reflected how Australians feel regarding their hometown hero. In the thrilling final against South Africa in Barbados, Hardik showed nerves of steel by bowling a decisive final over, defending 16 runs. This brilliant effort he displayed in the final brought wide applause from fans and cricket experts alike.
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Hardik Pandya returned with a fine bowling figure of 3/20, taking the important wickets of Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, and Kagiso Rabada, which turned out to be his finest analysis in the tournament. India won the game by seven runs as South Africa managed to post 169/8 while chasing a target of 177.
THE ROAD SHOW FOR HARDIK PANDYA IN VADODARA. 🤯
– The MVP of India in his hometown. pic.twitter.com/VuIVooDHOj
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 15, 2024
Hardik contributed considerably throughout. While he scored 144 runs in six innings at an average of 48 and strike rate of 151.57, he was equally devastating with the ball, returning figures of 11 wickets in eight matches at an average of 17.36 and a strike rate of 13.63.
By far, one of his interesting batting performances came in the Super Eight stage—against Bangladesh, an unbeaten 50 off 27 balls. It has been reported that once Rohit Sharma retires from T20Is after doing the unthinkable—his leadership led India to World Cup victory—Hardik Pandya will be the frontrunner for T20I captaincy.
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Hardik Pandya has served as Rohit’s deputy and has captained India in 16 T20Is, managing to win ten of those. Moreover, the successful stint as captain of the Gujarat Titans that led them to the IPL title in 2022 further goes to add to his credentials. While India is due to play a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka later this month, the BCCI will likely announce a new T20I captain soon in which Hardik will reign supreme.
