Describing Hardik Pandya’s stint as Mumbai Indians’ captain this season as lackluster wouldn’t be an exaggeration. However, labeling it as ‘insincere’ appears to have stirred some controversy, with Gautam Gambhir stepping in to defend Pandya’s performance.

Pandya’s captaincy saw Mumbai Indians endure one of their most disheartening IPL seasons in recent memory. They languished at a dismal ninth position, managing only 8 points after 13 matches, ultimately missing out on playoff qualification.

Following their defeat against table-toppers Kolkata Knight Riders last Saturday, de Villiers expressed his views on his YouTube channel. The South African cricketer remarked that the current Mumbai Indians skipper’s approach to captaincy was ‘ego driven’ rather than authenticity.

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“The captaincy style of Hardik Pandya is quite bravado. It’s ego-driven in a way, chest out,” De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

De Villiers suggested that the way the Mumbai Indians’ current skipper carries himself on the field doesn’t always appear genuine to him. However, he acknowledged that the captain has chosen this style, likening it to MS Dhoni’s demeanor – cool, calm, collected, with a confident presence.

In response to de Villiers’ remarks, Gautam Gambhir, currently the head coach of KKR, passionately defended Pandya. Gambhir argued that de Villiers shouldn’t critique Pandya’s captaincy unless he himself has captained in the IPL.

Gambhir fired back at de Villiers’ comments by questioning the former captains’ own performances when they led teams. He suggested that neither Kevin Pietersen nor AB de Villiers had remarkable leadership performances in their careers. Gambhir argued that if you examine their records, they would likely be inferior to those of other leaders.

Gambhir continued his defense of Pandya by pointing out that AB de Villiers has never captained a game in the IPL and hasn’t achieved much from a team perspective apart from his individual performances. He emphasized that Pandya, on the other hand, has the distinction of being an IPL-winning captain. Gambhir stressed the importance of comparing similar achievements, likening it to comparing oranges to oranges rather than apples to oranges.

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