India’s vice-captain Hardik Pandya will be linking up with the Rohit Sharma-led side in New York on Sunday afternoon ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Pandya was a notable name missing from the visuals of the first batch of Indian team players and support staff departing for New York from Mumbai on Saturday night.
Pandya had been vacationing overseas at an undisclosed location after Mumbai Indians’ campaign ended in IPL 2024 with a defeat to Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium and is now on his way to New York to link up with the Indian team for the showpiece event starting from June 1.
Pandya had a torrid time in IPL 2024, where he was constantly under the spotlight for his disappointing all-round performances after an ankle injury layoff.
With the bat, Hardik amassed just 216 runs in 14 matches of IPL 2024 at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 143.05. With the ball, he picked 11 wickets at an economy rate of 10.75 and an average of 35.18.
A lot was expected from him as a leader, especially after he captained Gujarat Titans to IPL 2022 title and IPL 2023 runners-up finish. But Mumbai Indians finished at the bottom of the points table.
