"I am nowhere near Hardik Pandya" - Riyan Parag opens up on Hardik's contributions for India ahead of T20 World Cup 2024
Rajasthan Royals' (RR) rising all-rounder Riyan Parag believes he is not in a position to give Hardik Pandya any advice about handling external scrutiny. Hardik was at the receiving end of booing and social media abuse throughout the IPL 2024 season when he returned to the Mumbai Indians (MI).
MI fans expressed their disappointment for the way Rohit Sharma was removed from captaincy by booing Hardik and Riyan was perhaps someone who could relate to what the MI captain was going through. The youngster himself faced a lot of trolling due to his lack of performances for RR in the past.
However, on The Ranveer Show podcast, Riyan Parag claimed that he was in no position to advise Hardik Pandya about anything as he felt the latter had already performed quite a lot for the country. He said:
"I am nowhere near Hardik Pandya, first of all. Hardik has done insane things for our country. People forget that in a jiffy. Hardik has won you games in the World Cup and has won you trophies, so let's not even compare me and Hardik."
Hardik scored just 216 runs in the IPl 2024 season for MI and picked up 11 wickets while being expensive with an economy rate of 10.75.
Riyan Parag on his conversation with Hardik Pandya
Riyan Parag scored a fine 54* off just 39 balls when RR beat MI at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL 2024. After the game, he was seen having a chat with Hardik and many wondered what it was about.
Here's what the youngster had to say about his conversation:
"All I was talking with him (Hardik) was how he was dealing with it (scrutiny), how I should be dealing with it if I was in a similar situation and basic cricket in general. That's all I was talking about. He is one of the best cricketers in the world right now."
Hardik Pandya scored a fine cameo of 40 off just 23 balls in India's T20 World Cup warm-up against Bangladesh. His return to form could directly impact the Men in Blue's chances of ending their 17-year wait for the T20 World Cup crown.