Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has backed veteran Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya to stay strong ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies.
Wasim Jaffer took to X (formerly Twitter) to support Hardik Pandya after the Mumbai Indians was ruled out of the IPL 2024 last night. MI’s 4-wicket loss against Lucknow Super Giants means the five-time champions are officially out of the race for the play-offs this season. It was the first season since the 2013 season where Rohit Sharma was not captain of the franchise.
Wasim Jaffer says Hardik Pandya’s trolls will soon chant his name
As we all know, Hardik Pandya has been the subject of brutal trolling from fans on social media ever since his move back to Mumbai Indians was officially announced. His comeback to the franchise wasn’t really the subject of controversy, but his appointment as captain in place of Rohit Sharma was the real point of discussion.
Criticize his performance all you want, but it’s extremely disappointing to see the constant personal trolls and attacks. Stay strong @hardikpandya7 Next month you will be playing crucial titles at the World Cup and the same people will be singing your praises. #LSGvMI #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/rYk0kozjMy
– Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) April 30, 2024
Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans and Rohit Sharma fans responded with deadly attacks on Hardik Pandya on social media and the all-rounder was personally attacked. As the IPL 2024 progressed, Pandya found it difficult to find support from both his own fan base and the MI fan base.
The trolling and personal attacks on Hardik Pandya directly contributed to his poor performances in this IPL season. In addition, players on his own team did not agree with him. Most notably, it was Akash Madhwal who had apparently ignored Pandya’s instruction to listen carefully to former captain Rohit Sharma.
The team was out of sync and fans were more of haters towards Hardik and in such a case one cannot expect the team to qualify for the play-offs.
Wasim Jaffer captured all of this in his latest tweet. Jaffer stated that people can criticize Hardik Pandya as much as possible but nothing can justify the way he was attacked on a personal level. The former opening batsman urged the all-rounder, who will be India’s vice-captain in the T20 World Cup, to stay strong and stay prepared for the challenge ahead.
Finally, Jaffer predicted that Hardik Pandya’s trolls will soon chant his name as he delivers crucial knocks for India in the World Cup.
“Criticize his performance all you want, but it is extremely disappointing to see the constant personal trolls and attacks. Stay strong @hardikpandya7 Next month you will be playing crucial titles at the World Cup and the same people will be singing your praises. #LSGvMI #T20WorldCup.” – Wasim Jaffer wrote on his X-handle.
Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah are scheduled to fly to the US before May 25
Meanwhile, after MI’s exit from IPL 2024, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah will fly to the USA for the T20 World Cup by May 25 to begin preparations. The trio will be joined by other selected players whose teams do not qualify for the play-offs. These players could include Virat Kohli, Mohammad Siraj, Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel among others.