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Follow UsSlandered, torn, traumatised and brutalised.
Over the last few months, nobody has undergone more trauma than Hardik Pandya. Every move of his has been highly criticised. He could walk normally on a footpath and still won’t be spared.
But adversities like this bring out the best in Hardik.
Throughout this adversity, the 30-year-old basked in silence. He soaked it all in and, in return, produced the best clutch performance ever in T20 World Cup history.
None has divided opinions in this country more than Hardik.
26 off 24 wasn’t an easy equation to defend. But it wasn’t just the equation, this was a stage perfectly set up for Hardik to become a hero.
Before we get into what he did, just think about this: 2016 T20 World Cup, 2017 Champions Trophy, 2019 ODI World Cup and 2023 ODI World Cup. It all started in 2016 when he conceded 43 runs off four overs on a forgettable night at the Wankhede Stadium.
In 2017, a disastrous run-out not only ended Hardik’s stay (76 off 43) but put an end to all remaining hopes for the Men in Blue. At the 2019 ODI World Cup, after seeing through 62 deliveries, he put the worst possible foot trying an ugly hoick against Mitchell Santner, a moment that certainly took things further away from India.
Four years later, when he was putting his foot in the right direction, there came the injury that further sent him down a spiral. ICC tournaments weren’t very kind to Hardik or the Indian team.
The entire world is against you. Your back is against the wall. You could either surrender, or you could pull off the single-most decisive moment in the T20 World Cup 2024 without putting a single foot wrong.
His first-ever delivery was a slower ball that deviated slightly away from a rampant Heinrich Klaasen (52 off 26), taking a thick edge. If you are neutral, you would look at this moment and wonder why Klaasen would do it on earth.
It wasn’t just that wicket but how he went about his way in the entire over to concede just four runs. If you are still wondering what’s the big deal.
Let me tell you.
In the four overs that preceded Hardik’s over, Indian bowlers had conceded 50 runs. It was all of their best bet in the middle overs –Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh. But none of them was able to defeat Klaasen.
That’s how big that over was.
It is that attitude that has kept Hardik stand out. In an Indian team filled with such talent, the sheer calm and composure to put your hands up and say, “Let me bowl the final over,” is what makes Pandya such a special cricketer.
Sporting greatness is a nebulous entity. It is subjective and often runs in hyperbole. However, when you run the course to decide your societal acceptance and do it in the fashion that Pandya did on Saturday, it just makes everything a little better.
Forget the equation. Forget all the numbers. Forget every single thing.
The wind was in David Miller’s favour, the equation was certainly something he could’ve taken on, and the occasion was tailor-made for one of the Miller-getaways.
But up against him was CLUTCH PANDYA.
****
Just minutes after India’s seven-run win, the camera pans towards Hardik.
He’s on his knees. He has tears all over his face. There isn’t one part of his face that isn’t soaked wet. This isn’t just your normal everyday emotion, this is one of a fightback and one of determination.
A few more minutes have passed, and Hardik is still weeping. But the tears somehow have now transformed into a fountain. All of those setbacks have now transformed into the single greatest moment in T20 World Cup history.
Even as he was walking off to the dressing room, Hardik was approached by ICC staff for an interview, and he quickly said, “Let me wipe this tear off.”
“It means a lot. Very emotional. We’ve been working very hard and something was not clicking. But today, we got what the whole nation wanted. More special for me, how my last 6 months were and I haven’t spoken a word,” Hardik said. “I knew that if I kept working hard, I could shine and do what I could do. Getting an opportunity like this makes it more special.”
Even then, you could see it in his eyes: he was emotional.
This is a message in life: you could have a thousand adversities or an entire roof coming down hard on you, but don’t give up. There’s always a second chance, and there are always these tiny moments that are waiting for you.
Hardik is not the greatest cricketer of all time, but he certainly knows how to be part of something bigger: the greatest moment in cricketing history — the moment when India broke a wretched 11-year-long jinx.
A little apology to Sir Alex Ferguson before the last line.
‘Football Cricket, bloody hell’.
