'People Saying All Kinds of Nasty Things': Krunal Pandya Breaks Down in Tears Watching Brother Hardik Relive Difficult Phase

From the lows of IPL 2024 that saw him being routinely booed as he battled a slump in form to the highs of playing a prominent role in India’s T20 World Cup campaign, Hardik Pandya has had quite a year so far. The allrounder left behind a challenging phase as he struggled to get going with the bat and the ball before bouncing back at the T20I showpiece.

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Naturally, Hardik was emotional following his game-changing performance with the ball in the title clash against South Africa as he celebrated the world cup win.

His older brother Krunal, who watched him talk about his struggles, also broke down in tears and has now broken his silence on the trolling Hardik was subjected too.

In a length post on Instagram, Krunal said his brother didn’t deserve the trolling he was subjected to in the past six months.

“It’s almost been a decade since Hardik and I started playing professional cricket. And the last few days have been like a fairy tale that we’ve dreamt off. Like every countryman I’ve lived this through our teams heroics and I couldn’t be more emotional with my brother being at the heart of it,” Krunal wrote.

“The last six months have been the toughest for Hardik. He simply didn’t deserve what he went through, and as a brother, I felt very, very bad for him. From booing, to people saying all kinds of nasty things, at the end of the day, we all forgot that he is just a human being who also has emotions. He somehow passed through all of this with a smile, though I know how hard it was for him to put on a smile. He kept working hard and focusing on what he needed to do to get the World Cup since that was his ultimate objective,” he added.

Krunal said Hardik has realised his dream of winning a world cup for his country.

“He has now played his heart out to realise India’s long standing dream – And nothing has ever meant to him more. From the age of 6 – It’s playing for the country and winning the World Cup that’s been the dream,” Krunal wrote.

Krunal said whenever Hardik has been written off, he has used it as a motivation to chart his comeback.

“I just want to remind people that what Hardik has done in such a short span in his career is unbelievable. His efforts for the national team have never been compromised. Every time, at every stage of Hardik’s life, people have written him off, and that has only motivated him to come back even stronger,” the 33-year-old wrote.

“For Hardik, it has always been country first, and it will always be that way. For a young boy coming from Baroda, there can be no bigger achievement than helping his team win the World Cup. Hardik, I am so, so proud of you. I love you so much, and you deserve every bit of happiness and all the good things that are coming your way. I have immense respect for you, my bachhu,” he added.