"Pretty sure he has secured a spot in your (MI fans) hearts for the future" - AB de Villiers hails Hardik Pandya for 2024 T20 World Cup heroics
Former South African batter AB de Villiers has hailed Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya for his magnificent showing in the recently concluded T20 World Cup. The 30-year-old played a crucial role in Team India's title run, including a game-changing bowling spell in the finale.
Hardik scored 144 runs at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 151.57 while also picking up 11 wickets at an average of 17.36 and an economy rate of 7.64. This was coming off a torrid IPL 2024 campaign where the Mumbai Indians (MI), led by him, finished at the bottom of the table.
He replaced Rohit Sharma as the skipper and was met with boos around most of the stadiums by MI fans throughout the tournament.
Heaping praise on Hardik for the turnaround from the IPL to the T20 World Cup, AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel:
"He made everyone proud out there. Even though I did not want him to succeed like that, I look back and have a lot of respect for that. He is a big man for a big moment and that's exactly the way he played. To all you Mumbai Indians fans out there who doubted him, I'm pretty sure he has secured a spot in your hearts for the future."
Hardik's stellar showing was rewarded when he became the world's No.1 T20I all-rounder in the latest ICC rankings.
"What stands out for me are the big moments" - AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers further praised Hardik Pandya for his ability to stand up and deliver in the big moments of the T20 World Cup, especially the final.
With the game slipping away from India as South Africa needed only 26 off 24 deliveries, the champion all-rounder removed the well-set Heinrich Klaasen for 52 off 27.
Hardik followed that with a sensational final over, removing David Miller and Kagiso Rabada while defending 16 runs to help India win by seven runs.
"What stands out for me are the big moments. A guy like Hardik Pandya who's been through a roller-coaster himself with Mumbai Indians – moving from Gujarat to Mumbai – and all the criticism he coped with, getting the ball from the captain in the final of the T20 World Cup. That was his moment to go like, 'You know what… all Indian fans out there, this is what I am about as a cricket player," said AB de Villiers in the same video.
He finished with outstanding figures of 3/20 in three overs, including the terrific 17th and 20th overs, to help India seal the deal.
It was India's fourth World Cup title, the first since 2011, and the second in the T20 format.