"I do not think we need to prove anything to anyone" - Hardik Pandya responds to "underperformers" tag from Michael Vaughan

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has responded to former England captain Michael Vaughan's "underperformers" remark for the Men in Blue. The 28-year-old feels that while criticism is inevitable, Team India have nothing to prove to anyone.

The Indian team attracted widespread criticism following their semi-final exit from the T20 World Cup 2022.

In his column for The Telegraph, Vaughan branded India as the most underperforming team in white-ball cricket for failing to get things right despite having the best resources.

#TeamIndia put up a fight but it was England who won the match.

We had a solid run till the semifinal & enjoyed a solid support from the fans.

Scorecard ▶️ bit.ly/INDvENG-SF2-T2…

#T20WorldCup | #INDvENG https://t.co/5qPAiu8LcL

Speaking ahead of the T20I series against New Zealand, Pandya said while Team India respect different opinions, their job is not to please people but to get better at what they are doing. He was quoted as saying by NDTV:

"When you do not do well, people will have opinions which we respect. I understand people are coming with different points of view. But being at the international level, I do not think we need to prove anything to anyone. It is a sport, you keep trying and you keep getting better.

"When the result is supposed to happen, it will happen. But yes, definitely things we need to work on, which we are aware of and we will rectify it."

India massively underperformed across departments in the T20 World Cup semi-final against England. Batting first on a good track, Rohit Sharma and Co. managed only 168. In reply, England chased it in 16 overs without losing a wicket.

"It is too far ahead right now" - Hardik Pandya on the next T20 World Cup

With the next T20 World Cup two years away, Pandya highlighted that plenty of players will receive opportunities before the marquee ICC event. However, the all-rounder wants his teammates to live in the present and enjoy playing in New Zealand. saying:

"T20 World Cup will be almost two years, if I am not wrong. Till then, we have time, and a lot of people will get chances as a lot of cricket will be played. The roadmap starts now, but it is too far ahead right now.

"We have time, we will start having conversations on those grounds, right now, it is about making sure that we let the boys enjoy themselves while playing here. Let them enjoy right now, we will talk about the future later on."

Regroup ✅

Restart ✅

#TeamIndia | #INDvNZ https://t.co/6QK7hLYxwd

Pandya, who will be leading India in the T20I series against New Zealand in Rohit's absence, also captained the team in two T20Is against Ireland earlier this year.