'Doesn't Hardik Pandya feel bad that he is not even the vice-captain of India?': All-rounder termed 'backbone of team'

Hardik Pandya has repeatedly shown why he is regarded as one of the best white-ball all-rounders. In the fourth T20I against England, Hardik played a quickfire knock of 53 runs to help India post more than 180 runs on the board and in the end, his innings proved to be one of the major reasons behind the hosts' 15-run win. Former India batter Mohammad Kaif reckons there is no cricketer in the country like Hardik Pandya, and the all-rounder is the "backbone" of the Indian team.

Hardik, 31, has had a roller coaster ride in the last two years. He was appointed as Mumbai Indians captain before IPL 2024. However, him replacing Rohit Sharma was not taken too kindly by fans and he was booed mercilessly at the Wankhede Stadium. However, Hardik made the same hostile fans, his supporters, by helping India win the T20 World Cup.

Everyone expected Hardik to be made the T20I captain after Rohit Sharma retired from the shortest format. However, this was not to be the case, as Suryakumar Yadav pipped him to be named skipper. The all-rounder is now not even the vice-captain of the team.

Kaif reckons Hardik must be sad after not being given the captaincy since he has a good record as a leader in the IPL.

"People were after Hardik Pandya's life during IPL 2024. He faced a lot of brickbats; fans booed him at the Wankhede Stadium. He never spoke about his pain. He is the same player who bowled the final over of the T20 World Cup final to hand India the trophy. He cried his heart out after making India win. He never showed his emotions during the IPL when Mumbai Indians weren't performing well," Kaif said in a video posted on his X handle.

"He got injured in Pune during the 2023 ODI World Cup. You didn't get a replacement for him. No player could have replaced him. Mohammed Shami bowled well, but India had only 7 batters and 4 bowlers. There was no eighth batter. Hardik Pandya is the backbone of this team. When he is injured, there is no replacement to be found," he added.

'Hardik Pandya always gives his best'

Mohammad Kaif also believes that Hardik Pandya is one player who always gives his best. He also reckons Hardik Pandya never shows his emotions to the world, but he must be hurting after not being given the Indian team's captaincy.

"He scores runs when the team needs it. He takes the wickets when the teams needs it. Hardik Pandya played cameos in every match of the T20 World Cup. He is not the captain right now. Do you think he doesn't feel bad? Isn't he human, and doesn't he feel anything? He is not even the vice-captain of this Indian team," said Kaif.

"He is the captain of Mumbai Indians. He won the IPL with Gujarat Titans and then reached the final. But he isn't the captain of the Indian team. Suryakumar Yadav is the captain. Hardik is doing his role to the best of his ability. Hardik Pandya always gives his best. You cannot find anyone with his skill set when he gets injured. I think you don't have a player like Hardik Pandya. In the population of 1.4 billion, there is only one genuine all-rounder, and that is Hardik Pandya," he added.