One must be a 'proper devil' to have grudges against MS Dhoni. All-rounder Hardik Pandya issued the famous remark about the legendary Chennai Super Kings cricketer in the Indian Premier League last season. Pandya, who returned to Mumbai Indians for the 2024 season, only to endure a tough homecoming, guided Gujarat Titans to the final of the IPL last year. The local hero guided GT to back-to-back finals of the cash-rich league before joining forces with Rohit Sharma at Mumbai Indians.

Despite being a success story at Gujarat Titans, all-rounder Hardik failed to replicate his performances for Mumbai Indians in his debut season as the leader of the five-time winners. With three wins in 11 matches, Mumbai's playoff challenge under the leadership of Hardik is all but over. Hardik's MI side is playing for ‘pride and name’ after picking up six points in 11 matches this season. With MI set to host a free-scoring Sunrisers Hyderabad in their home fixture on Monday, Mumbai skipper Hardik gave Dhoni a special mention while talking about his bitter-sweet stint.

'That experience no one can teach you, not even Mahi Bhai'

"Responsibility-wise, I was always someone who wanted responsibilty because when you own your things, it kind of becomes more personal to you. So for me, it was always about owning my mistake and at the same point of time taking those chances, maybe failing and learning. That experience no one can teach you - not your closest aide, not your idol, to some extent not even Mahi Bhai (MS Dhoni) when he was around," Hardik told Star Sports.

Hardik to assist Rohit at T20 World Cup

Hardik's ordinary form has sparked a debate among his critics in the World Cup year. After his poor show as MI captain in the IPL 2024, Hardik was still roped in as Rohit's deputy for the ICC World T20. Hardik's nomination received an open challenge from former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan after India announced its squad for the T20 World Cup. Hardik has scored 198 runs for MI in 11 games. The MI pacer has eight wickets under his belt this season. "Some failures you experience and then learn. Because of that, I think, I started understanding what are the roles and what are the roles I am good at, how I can get better at that," Hardik added.

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