[Watch] T20 World Cup winner Hardik Pandya attends a roadshow in home town Vadodara

Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya attended a roadshow in his hometown Vadodara in Gujarat on Monday, July 15. This is the first time he visited his hometown after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.

Hardik has had a rollercoaster ride in the last few months. From fans booing him during IPL 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium to the same crowd shouting his name in joy at the same venue after the World Cup victory, the ace all-rounder has seen it all.

After spending two seasons with the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, he was traded back to the Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of IPL 2024. But what irked fans was the management's decision to appoint him as captain in place of Rohit Sharma. The constant criticism took a toll on his performance, and it also reflected on the team's performance.

However, Hardik Pandya scripted a massive turnaround and was one of the key architects behind India's T20 World Cup. He scored 144 runs at an average of 48 and also picked up 11 wickets, including figures of 3/20 in the final against South Africa.

After returning to India, he attended an open bus roadshow in Mumbai as part of the celebrations. The 30-year-old finally returned to his native state and received a huge welcome, with fans turning up in massive numbers to cheer the World Cup winner during a roadshow in Vadodara.

Watch the clip here:

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"Hardik Pandya should become the captain" - Saba Karim on India's T20 skipper

Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim feels all-rounder Hardik Pandya is the prime contender to lead the Men in Blue in the shortest format of the game. The position is vacant after Rohit Sharma announced his T20 retirement after the World Cup.

Speaking to Sony Sports, Karim said:

"If we see logically, Hardik Pandya should become the captain because he was the vice-captain in the winning World Cup campaign. He also captained India in the past. I feel the preparation now should be for the next T20 World Cup which is going to happen after two years."

Saba Karim also picked ace batter Suryakumar Yadav as another candidate to lead India in the future.