IPL 2024: Gautam Gambhir Defends Hardik Pandya Amid IPL Captaincy Criticism
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Gautam Gambhir recently defended Hardik Pandya ’s captaincy in the ongoing IPL 2024 , challenging the critics' own leadership records. Mumbai Indians (MI), who appointed Pandya as captain for this season, have struggled and were eliminated early from the playoffs race.
When asked about the criticism of Pandya from former cricketers like Kevin Pietersen and AB de Villiers , Gambhir pointed out that their opinions might be different if MI were performing better.
“Experts will keep on saying something,” Gambhir said on Sportskeeda. “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.”
Pandya, who left MI before the IPL 2022 mega auction to join Gujarat Titans, led the new franchise to two consecutive finals, winning the title in his first attempt. After two successful seasons, he returned to MI as captain.
Gambhir emphasized that Pandya should be given more time to adjust, as it can be challenging for a player to adapt to a different team environment.
“We have to realise Hardik Pandya came from a different franchise and it takes time (to deliver),” Gambhir said. “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,” he added.
Pietersen responded to the criticism by acknowledging his own shortcomings as a captain.
“He’s not wrong. I was a terrible captain!!!” Pietersen wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, De Villiers defended his comments on Pandya, criticizing the media for misrepresenting his statements.
“I see there is a lot of activity on X about the comments I made about Hardik Pandya and Mumbai Indians. And it’s a shame that journalism and reporting has got so low (laughs). And I am very happy that some of you have pointed it out, taking some of those comments out and leaving the rest,” De Villiers said in a clip he shared on social media.
“I very clearly stated and I will state this again – I absolutely love the way Hardik Pandya plays his game. I love the way he captains. All I can say is, his style of captaincy is something that he has certainly worked on. It’s not something that you can just walk out of the door and you are a brave captain,” he added.
When asked about the criticism of Pandya from former cricketers like Kevin Pietersen and AB de Villiers , Gambhir pointed out that their opinions might be different if MI were performing better.
“Experts will keep on saying something,” Gambhir said on Sportskeeda. “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.”
Pandya, who left MI before the IPL 2022 mega auction to join Gujarat Titans, led the new franchise to two consecutive finals, winning the title in his first attempt. After two successful seasons, he returned to MI as captain.
Gambhir emphasized that Pandya should be given more time to adjust, as it can be challenging for a player to adapt to a different team environment.
“We have to realise Hardik Pandya came from a different franchise and it takes time (to deliver),” Gambhir said. “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,” he added.
Pietersen responded to the criticism by acknowledging his own shortcomings as a captain.
“He’s not wrong. I was a terrible captain!!!” Pietersen wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, De Villiers defended his comments on Pandya, criticizing the media for misrepresenting his statements.
“I see there is a lot of activity on X about the comments I made about Hardik Pandya and Mumbai Indians. And it’s a shame that journalism and reporting has got so low (laughs). And I am very happy that some of you have pointed it out, taking some of those comments out and leaving the rest,” De Villiers said in a clip he shared on social media.
“I very clearly stated and I will state this again – I absolutely love the way Hardik Pandya plays his game. I love the way he captains. All I can say is, his style of captaincy is something that he has certainly worked on. It’s not something that you can just walk out of the door and you are a brave captain,” he added.
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