3 times Hardik Pandya was criticized for a statement he made

Indian current T20 skipper Hardik Pandya didn't make any excuses and accepted responsibility as India lost the T20I series decider against the West Indies on Sunday, August 13.

Pandya, who stepped out to bat in the 11th over of the first innings and made just 14 runs off 18 balls, sucked the momentum out of the Indian innings.

Former cricketers and fans would have coped with the loss, but the captain's bizarre statements after the match irked them like no other.

"Sometimes losing is good because it teaches you a lot of things. It does not cover up the messes that you make," Pandya said.

Also, when the 29-year-old was asked about his thought process while deciding on bowling changes in Lauderhill, he said:

"It is what I feel at that moment. I don't plan much for it. If I see the situation and believe that is the better option, I generally prefer that. It's not rocket science; it's just whatever my gut says at that time."

It's not the first time that Hardik Pandya's bizarre comments have attracted flak from all around. In this article, we will discuss those instances when his statements invited huge criticism from not only the fans but also from experts.

3 times Hardik Pandya was criticized for a statement he made

#3. Venkatesh Prasad blasted Pandya for misusing the word 'process' too much

After the recent series loss against the West Indies, Hardik Pandya emphasized the process and did not go overboard on the bilateral results.

"One series [loss] here and there is fine. It's a longer process, and I don't think we need to explain much about it," he said.

The statement didn't go well with former Indian pacer Venkatesh Prasad, who didn't mince words after the series loss against the West Indies and blasted Pandya on Twitter for making "silly and casual statements".

He also called out the use of the word 'process', which MS Dhoni used to use a lot. But Prasad also pointed out that there was consistency in selection during Dhoni's captaincy tenure, and that words like 'process' are misused now.

"They are responsible for the debacle and need to be accountable. Process and such words are misused now. MS meant it; guys now just use the word. There is no consistency in selection; random stuff happens too much," the former India cricketer wrote.

#2. Winning tournaments, picking up 2-3 teams at one time

During a press conference in 2021 during the white-ball series against Sri Lanka, Hardik Pandya made headlines when he exuded supreme self-assurance in the Indian cricket team's capabilities.

He boldly proclaimed that thanks to the IPL and strong domestic cricket, India possessed such a large pool of talent that they could form two separate teams and both would be strong enough to clinch victory in any tournament they entered.

"We can pick two more teams and win any competition in the world," Pandya said.

But after India's dismal performances in ICC events and bilateral series lately, not only fans seized the opportunity to taunt Hardik Pandya for his overconfident remark on social media, but cricket pundits also found his statement unnecessary and superfluous.

#1. "I did it today."

It was still an early phase of his cricketing career, but Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul found themselves in the middle of a deep puddle following the controversial remarks about women that he made at the famous talk show, Koffee with Karan, in 2019.

When questioned about his sex life, Pandya said:

"When I lost my virginity, I came home and said, Main karke aaya hai aaj (I did it today)".

Highlighting the casual take on the subject from his parents, then 25-year-old revealed how "cool" he was with his family members.

He made many more such sexist, misogynistic, and racist comments regarding women and was rightly grilled for his statements by fans on social media.

The extent of the backlash was so severe that even the broadcaster, Star TV, removed the episode from its online streaming platform, Hotstar, while the BCCI suspended both him and Rahul, asking them to return from the Australian tour.