"Saw them sit in a corner, talking for a long time" - Journalist details how Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma bonded ahead of 2024 T20 World Cup
Senior journalist Vimal Kumar has thrown some light over the equation Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya shared during practice ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup. He revealed that the two sat together and chatted for a long time, ensuring the atmosphere in the team was a positive one heading into the mega event.
Team India won the 2024 T20 World Cup held in West Indies and United States, beating South Africa by seven runs in a thrilling final in Barbados. Both skipper Rohit and all-rounder Pandya made key contributions in India's triumph, which ended their 11-year drought in ICC events.
Heading into the T20 World Cup there were numerous media reports of an alleged rift between Rohit and Pandya after the latter replaced the former as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain for IPL 2024. Speaking on the 2 Sloggers podcast, though, journalist Kumar detailed how the two star cricketers bonded before the ICC event. Kumar said (as quoted by NDTV):
"When I went to the nets, on the first day I saw they were standing far apart and did not talk to each other. But by the second day, I saw them come over, one after the other, and sit together in a corner, talking for a long time. That moment for me defined this team. There was no camera there; nothing. The way Rohit and Hardik were talking, I was like 'what am I watching?'."
The journalist opined that the candid interaction with Rohit and Pandya went a long way in calming some of the pre-tournament nerves in the dressing room.
"There is so much going on in India with the public talking about their differences. After that, for the next three days, Rohit and Hardik would bat parallelly. And then Rohit would point out about his batting, bowling. When I saw that atmosphere and thought if they addressed such a complex issue, the elephant in the room. That vibe I saw demonstrated how relaxed the team atmosphere was," he added.
India were undefeated in the 2024 T20 World Cup. After cruising through the group stage and the Super 8 round, they thumped England by 68 runs in the second semifinal in Guyana before getting the better of the Proteas in the final.
Rohit and Pandya's 2024 T20 World Cup stats
Leading from the front, Rohit hammered 257 runs in eight innings at an average of 36.71 and a strike rate of 156.71, with three half-centuries, which included a best of 92 against Australia.
Pandya picked up 11 wickets in eight matches at an average of 17.36 and an economy rate of 7.64. With the bat, the right-handed batter slammed 50* off 27 against Bangladesh, 27* off 17 against Australia and 23 off 13 in the semifinal against England.