Fans of Team India stars Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya were engaged in a war of words amid bizarre claims about the former on social media.
This came after noted cricket journalist Vikrant Gupta exposed Rohit Sharma's ugly conspiracy against Hardik Pandya. He hinted that the latter was removed from Team India's leadership positions at the former's insistence.
Last week, Hardik Pandya was snubbed by the national selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar as he was not named as the skipper of the Indian Cricket Team for the forthcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.
While he was not named captain of the T20I side in a surprise move with veteran batter Suryakumar Yadav elevated to that position, Shubman Gill was named the Mumbai batter's deputy.
The move of the selectors came as a shock to Hardik Pandya's fans as well as many former cricketers since the 30-year-old cricketer was leading the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma during bilateral competitions.
What's more, he served as the vice-captain of the side in big-ticket tournaments like the ODI World Cup last year and the 2024 T20 World Cup, which India won under Rohit Sharma.
The development came only days after 2011 World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir's appointment as Team India's new head coach and many reckoned that he was behind Hardik Pandya's demotion.
However, Vikrant Gupta suggested that it wasn't the case and the main culprit was Rohit Sharma.
“A coach who has yet to formally join the Indian team can’t make such a huge call. He can discuss his ideas but the decision-making power lies with someone else,” Vikrant Gupta said on Sports Tak.
“This move was probably made by the previous team management, comprising Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma, and current chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Among these three, you can figure out who is prominent voice now,” he elaborated.
“This decision wasn't made overnight, sources are telling me that this was in the works for the past few months,” Vikrant Gupta revealed.
Meanwhile, Ajit Agarkar, India's chairman of selectors, dismissed the conspiracy theory propagated by Vikrant Gupta.
“Regarding Hardik, he's still a very important player for us. Fitness has obviously been a challenge for him… Then it becomes difficult for the coach or selectors. Fitness is a clear challenge and we want someone who is available more often than not. Having said that, we believe Surya has the qualities necessary to be a captain. We also feel we can manage Hardik better, we've seen what he can do with the bat and ball in the World Cup… We speak to every player, whether their role has changed. And yeah we've spoken to him,” Ajit Agarkar told reporters in a press conference ahead of Team India's departure to Sri Lanka where the Men in Blue will take part in three T20Is and an equal number of ODIs.
In addition to the captaincy jolt, Hardik Pandya's personal life has also been in the news lately.
Just a few days ago, Hardik Pandya said that he was separating from his Serbian actress wife, Natasa Stankovic.
“After 4 years of being together, Natasa and I have decided to mutually part ways. We tried our best together and gave it our all, and we believe this is in the best interest for the both of us. This was a tough decision for us to make, given the joy, mutual respect and companionship we enjoyed together and as we grew a family,” Hardik Pandya wrote on his Instagram account.
“We are blessed with Agastya, who will continue to be at the centre of both our lives and we will co-parent to ensure that we give him everything that we can for his happiness. We sincerely request your support and understanding to give us the privacy during this difficult and sensitive time,” he added.
The 30-year-old cricketer's post triggered widespread reactions on the internet, with his vast legion of fans calling Natasa Stankovic a gold-digger. Some of them alleged that she got into a relationship with Hardik Pandya for money and fame and now wanted to earn big bucks through alimony from the mercurial player.
It is worth remembering that speculation about Hardik Pandya's relationship with Natasa Stankovic was doing the rounds for some time, especially after the latter dropped the Pandya surname from her profile on social media. Besides that Natasa Stankovic removed all her pictures with Hardik Pandya from Instagram.
Additionally, she had not been seen cheering Hardik Pandya during international or IPL games, even when the Gujarat-born cricketer was going through a rough patch in his career.
For example, Natasa Stankovic kept mum when Hardik Pandya faced a barrage of online abuse and was booed by the crowd during the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) after he was named the captain of the Mumbai Indians in place of Rohit Sharma.
Natasa Stankovic did not share a message of support for him after Hardik Pandya suffered an injury during India's ODI World Cup campaign at home last year. Also, she was missing from last month's victory celebrations in Mumbai following Team India's triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.
Follow Us
Subscribe
