The IPL team Mumbai Indians is having a forgettable IPL 2024 as it is currently on the ninth position with only 4 wins in 13 matches and the five times champion was the first team to get ruled out of the play-offs in this season.
Captaincy issues also made things difficult for MI as fans were not in the mood to accept Hardik Pandya as their new skipper who replaced Rohit Sharma after being traded from Gujarat Titans.
Many former cricketers including Kevin Pietersen and AB de Villiers slammed Hardik Pandya’s captaincy for the poor performance of the team and what made matters worse was that Hardik also failed as a batter and a bowler.
Now the former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has come out in support of Hardik Pandya and while speaking on a show, Gambhir said, “Experts will keep on saying something. For me, the captaincy is judged on the basis of performances. If Mumbai Indians were doing well, these same experts would be lauding him. If this same setup ends up performing well next year, the opinions will be opposite and become the headlines.”
Gambhir further said, “We have to realise Hardik Pandya came from a different franchise and it takes time (to deliver). Give him some time. To expect he will instantly deliver, it’s not that he cannot, he can. Judging him every match, every little step isn’t right. I don’t think Kevin Pietersen or AB de Villiers had any notable performances as a leader. Check their records. I don’t think ABD ever captained in IPL or achieved as a leader apart from his own scores. Hardik Pandya is still an IPL winning captain. So only compare oranges to oranges, not apple to oranges.”
Soon KP responded to this statement of Gautam Gambhir as he tweeted, “He’s not wrong. I was a terrible captain!!!” with laughing emojis.
Do you agree with Gautam Gambhir?
