Team India fans roasted Hardik Pandya after India's embarrassing defeat to the West Indies in the recent T20I series. With the hosts completing a 3-2 series triumph over the Men in Blue, Hardik Pandya became the first Indian skipper to lose three games in bilateral T20Is.
It was India's first defeat to the West Indies in a T20I series.
Moreover, Hardik Pandya shot himself in the foot after he gave a shameful excuse to defend India's loss to the home team, leaving fans furious on social media.
“We lost the momentum when I came in and couldn't capitalize on the situation. I believe we gonna challenge ourselves. We try to get better. In hindsight, it is fine. We don't need to explain much. I know how the boys are within the group. We have enough time to figure out. Losing is good at times,” Hardik Pandya said in the post-match presentation ceremony after India's maiden defeat in a five-game T20I series against the West Indies.
“On the positive side, we have done a lot of learnings. The boys showed character. Credit to them. They kept coming and tried something new. It is part of the process. It is what I feel at that moment,” he added.
“If I see a situation, I generally prefer something that comes to mind. No rocket science, just my gut feel. Every youngster who is coming in, is showing character. I can't be more happy when I see a youngster comes in and puts his hand up. A big thank you to everyone. The T20 World Cup would be here. There would be bigger numbers then,” Hardik Pandya elaborated.
Hardik Pandya's statement irked Team India's supporters, who posted hilarious memes on X to have fun at Hardik Pandya's expense.
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On the other hand, 1983 World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar said India should take their defeat to the West Indies as a wake-up call
“India's loss in the first two T20 games against West Indies immediately raised alarms about the performance. The team fought back well to level the series, and as can happen after a long tour, when it comes to the last match, the mind is mostly on the flight back home, and the intensity can die down a fair bit,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in a column for a leading media publication.
“That said, it would do well to remember that some key regular members of the team had been rested for this series, so it wasn't the full-strength Indian T20 team. While some performances were good, others were disappointing, raising question marks about the temperament factor. At the highest level, it's always the temperament that separates the men from the boys, and there can be nothing more testing than an international game,” he expressed.
“Yes, the kids look great playing against kids, but when they come up against the men, they suddenly find that what looks like a piece of cake at the under-19 level is more like mud at the senior level. That's why so many who looked good at the boys' level have been found wanting at the senior level. It's not just the temperament; even the skill set is way below the standard required at the franchise level. Then, having been bought for crores, some of these youngsters lose the fire in the belly and are happy to cruise along in later years and get their contracts extended, even if it is for a lesser amount,” the former India captain further penned.
“The loss to West Indies should not be a dampener. Don't forget that they have won the ICC T20 World Cup twice, and their players are matchwinners for the different franchises they play for in the IPL. So, they are a top-class T20 team, and there's no shame in losing to them. It should be a wake-up call, though, to see the areas where India needs to improve to strengthen its side. Some of those who were rested for this series may not be around for too long, so their replacements need to be found pretty quickly too, as the next ICC T20 World Cup is just a year away,” Sunil Gavaskar opined.
Meanwhile, former India opener Aakash Chopra pointed out the stark contrast between Hardik Pandya's captaincy for his Indian Premier League franchise, Gujarat Titans, and the national team.
“He has captained in only two seasons and captained amazingly well in both years. When he captains that side, there is a clear pattern. It's all almost predictable. You got surprised one or two times but other than that, you couldn't have found a mistake in his captaincy. Maybe it was the combo pack of him and Ashish Nehra,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“However, when he is captaining the Indian team, there is a lot of up and down. There is no template or pattern, which is alright as you can surprise the opposition team. It's okay if your own team is getting benefitted because of that but what if your team's players are unable to get prepared?” he suggested.
“Yuzi (Yuzvendra) Chahal becomes half the bowler while bowling in the powerplay. You don't come to know whether Axar Patel is a bowler or batter, or what he is doing. Mukesh Kumar bowls only at the death. You bowl at times with the new ball and don't do that on other occasions. It just leads to a bit more confusion is what I feel,” Aakash Chopra concluded.