Hardik Pandya recalled the best year of his life after recently being promoted as the captain of Mumbai Indians. Though Hardik had many great IPL seasons in his career the one closest to his heart is his debut season with Mumbai Indians.
Hardik Pandya made his debut for the MI in 2015 and played a crucial part in their championship-winning campaign the same year. Mumbai started the season with four back-to-back losses but they bounced back to win 9 out of their 10 final games, finally going on to defeat the mighty CSK in the finals at Eden Gardens.
Hardik Pandya recently opens up on their 2015 IPL winning campaign
“It was special; it’s because of the moment that I might be sitting here. If that hadn’t happened, I might not have been here. The whole season, for us (Mumbai Indians), I was fortunate enough that I was able to contribute on a much larger scale. My best memories were my two Man of the Match awards in do-or-die situations,“ Pandya told Star Sports.
'The first title holds a special place in memory', says @hardikpandya7 as he recalls his inaugural #IPL win!@mipaltan's new skipper mentions receiving the MOTM award.
Tap to watch full video 👉🏻 : https://t.co/oDEGB4syIp pic.twitter.com/r5cErqHUKf
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 2, 2024
The scenario has changed vastly for Pandya as he is the captain of MI now and is answerable for every ups and downs in the upcoming 2024 IPL.
Hardik Pandya has a lot to prove as he was vastly criticised for overtaking the captainship of Rohit Sharma. But Pandya has previously been successful as a captain with the Gujarat Titans, as he has won an IPL trophy with the franchise. Mumbai Indians have a strong squad as usual and will step out as a strong contender for the championship.
Why didn’t Hardik Pandya meet the same fate as Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer?
Recently Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were axed from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) list of centrally-contracted players due to not playing in domestic tournaments. Many fans and several experts supported the decision but many pointed out that Hardik Pandya was given a Grade-A contract despite not playing in Ranji Trophy matches.
According to reports, Hardik got off the hook after he assured BCCI and selectors of his participation in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and Vijay Hazare Trophy if he is not called for National team duty at that time.
