India all-rounder and recent T20 World Cup hero Hardik Pandya received a hero's welcome on his return to his hometown of Vadodra in Gujarat. Notably, Hardik's wicket of South African batsman David Miller in the final over of the T20 World Cup final was one of the turning points of the match and served as a moment of redemption for the key player who had endured a tough six months.
In a video shared by news agency ANI, Hardik can be seen waving to the crowd along with his brother Krunal while wearing the blue colours of Team India. Pandya can be seen standing on top of a vehicle with a poster reading 'Hardik Pandya; Pride of Vadodra'.
During the T20 World Cup 2024, Hardik scored 144 runs in six matches at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 151.57 with a best score of 50*. With the ball, the 30-year-old took 11 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 17.36 and an economy rate of 7.64.
Notably, this year's T20 World Cup was the first ICC tournament won by the Men in Blue since the Champions Trophy in 2013. The marquee event provided an opportunity for Pandya to showcase his true class, especially at a time when he was going through arguably the toughest 6-8 months of his cricketing career.
Pandya was injured during last year's ODI World Cup and only made a comeback in the 2024 IPL, where he took over the captaincy of Mumbai Indians from Rohit Sharma. But the fans weren't happy to see the hitman out of the captain's chair and took out their frustrations on the new captain, who was constantly booed and taunted by the crowds at various stadiums across India. To add insult to injury, rumours of Pandya's divorce from his wife Nataša Stanković also started circulating on social media.
