"...he will be a different Hardik Pandya": Harbhajan backs Pandya

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has empathy toward Hardik Pandya as the allrounder is going through a tough phase in his careerHardik Pandya had an unforgettable IPL 2024 season both as captain and player Mumbai Indians appointed him as captain by replacing Rohit Sharma Following the controversy the allrounder has faced continuous boos in all the stadiums including MIs home ground WankhedeWhen he wears that blue jersey he will be a different Hardik Pandya because we know he can score those runs and take those wickets I want Hardik to come good as he has gone through a lot and I wish him all the very best to have a very good tournament for India Harbhajan told PTI in an exclusive interviewIf he has a good tournament obviously India will have a great chance to go forward he said Yes his form is a bit of a concernand a lot of other stuff was going on around him his shifting from Gujarat to Mumbai was a big change and the team MI didnt react too well to Hardik coming back and that too as captain the 43yearold addedAlso ReadIN PHOTOS Are the divorce rumours between Pandya and Natasa Stankovic trueDuring the Indian showpiece there were rumours that the dressing room of the Mumbaibased franchise was a divided room due to the captaincy controversy Rohit Sharma is set to captain the Indian team ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 with Hardik Pandya appointed as his deputyHarbhajan a multiformat World Cup winner urged the team management to bring Pandya and Rohit on the same page it looked like they MI were not playing together as a team So there was a lot going on Hardik wasnt a free man in the last two months I believe both of them and many others who have played in different teams will have to come together to do something special for the nation he saidWinning a World Cup is a bigger achievement than winning an IPL trophy so I would urge the management to bring everyone together have them on one page and make sure they play like oneI believe its the responsibility of the management to come together and win together Even if they lose they should be losing togetherAhead of the T20 World Cup 2024 Team India has named three pacers Jasprit Bumrah Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh Among these Harbhajan Singh feels that only Bumrah is such a bowler who doesnt need any specific conditions to be successfulPace attack definitely could be a concern because because Bumrah is in a different league for the kind of bowler he is He will win you games on any kind of pitch He doesnt need conditions whereas other bowlers like Arshdeep and Siraj would need help from conditions If theres bounce Siraj might do well He is tall can also swing it both ways hits the deck hard and has got pace But if wickets are slow then the challenge begins for other bowlersThere will be lot of responsibility on Bumrahs shoulders but I hope other guys also take responsibility to be someone specialHarbhajan said IPL form would make no difference to the players fortunes in the T20 World Cup 2024 No matter what you have done in your IPL career or previously this is what counts the mostif I was in their shoes I would be looking for this opportunity to showcase that I have been better than what I have been doing the Turbanator statedVirat Kohli ended his IPL 2024 campaign as the highest runscorer in the tournament Harbhajan praised the veteran for the way he played in IPL 2024 and also for improving his strike rate Virat has shown a lot of improvement from last year to this year and people spoke about his strike rate It was in 130s during last year and this time it is in 160s he saidOf course its a big big change Virat and Rohit will have to score quickly in Powerplay but also need to respect the conditions in USA and West IndiesHarbhajan doesnt know whether Gautam Gambhir who is being spoken of as the favourite to take over Indias head coach position from the outgoing Rahul Dravid will get the job but he does believe it would be a crown of thorns for whoever chooses to wear it If I say it properly it is a speculation which is doing roundsthe biggest thing a coach can do is to bring everyone together so that team plays together So whether Gautam becomes coach or Ashish Nehra or whosoever gets the opportunity hope they do better than what others before them didHe also ruled himself out of the race I dont think I will be able to give that much time At this stage of my life I have a young family and I need to be around them and look after them Yes when the right time comes I will put my foot forward and say I am ready for it he concludedWith PTI Inputs