T20 World Cup 2024: Rohit Sharma faces serious allegations for deliberately spoiling Hardik Pandya's form

While Hardik Pandya has been selected in the India squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024, his performance in the ongoing IPL 2024 will be a big concern for the Indian team management.

The India allrounder has struggled to make an impact with both bat and ball in the tournament. He found himself under immense pressure right from the start of the tournament as the fans targeted him constantly for replacing Rohit Sharma as the captain of the Mumbai Indians.

So far, he has failed to impress as a captain as well as an allrounder. Under his captaincy, Mumbai Indians are currently languishing at the ninth spot in the IPL 2024 points table and look set to miss out on the playoffs. The five-time champions have managed to win just three of their ten league games so far. Even if they go on to win their remaining four league games, they are unlikely to make it to the next round.

Hardik Pandya's performance in IPL 2024:

Hardik Pandya has struggled with both bat and ball this season. Critics have targeted him for his failure to make an impact as a finisher while also criticizing him for his poor bowling performances. In 10 games so far, Hardik Pandya has scored a modest 197 runs at an average of less than 22. With the ball, he has picked up six wickets while having an economy rate of almost 11.

Rohit Sharma blamed for Hardik Pandya's struggle:

As Hardik Pandya's struggle continues in IPL 2024, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has pinned the blame on Rohit Sharma for the same. Speaking after Mumbai Indians' defeat against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday (April 30), Ali stated that the team is struggling because of the way it handled the whole captaincy change episode.

Speaking further, Ali said that Rohit Sharma becoming the captain of the Indian team for the T20 World Cup has affected Hardik Pandya. The allrounder had led India in the T20Is last year and was seen by many as the captain for the World Cup as well. However, the selectors recalled Rohit to the T20I side earlier this year before naming him as the captain.

"Mumbai Indians lost another match, but I think the mindset has cost them. The way Pandya was made captain before the start of the season, plus Pandya's performance, has also not been up to the mark this year. These factors have contributed to MI's downfall," said Ali on his YouTube channel.

"After the culmination of the 50-over World Cup, Pandya thought he would be the T20 captain of India, and that is why he came to Mumbai. But when BCCI announced that Rohit Sharma will continue leading India, Pandya was probably confused. This is why his performance was affected. He has been very poor as a captain, and only Rohit Sharma can help him," Ali added.