“It’s ego-driven in a way, chest out”: De Villiers on Hardik Pandya’s captaincy

Ahead of the IPL 2024 match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, former South African cricketer AB De Villiers critiqued Hardik Pandya’s style of leadership, describing it as “ego-driven, chest out,” which he believes may not resonate well with seasoned players.

MI is set to face KKR in the 60th match of the season at Eden Gardens on Saturday. De Villiers shared his thoughts on his YouTube channel, stating, “The captaincy style of Hardik Pandya is quite bravado. It’s ego-driven in a way, chest out. I don’t think how he walks on the field is always genuine, but he has decided that is his way of captaincy. Almost like MS. Cool, calm, collective, always got your chest out. But when you play with a lot of experienced players, guys who have been around for ages… They don’t buy into that. It worked at GT, where it was a younger team. Sometimes, inexperienced players love to follow that kind of leadership.”

He further advised Pandya to adopt a more composed approach during matches, reflecting on his own experiences under another captain. “I remember Graeme Smith. He was out there for the team. All I needed to do as a youngster was to follow. Now there’s a Rohit, there’s a Bumrah. They go like, all we need you to be is calm. Give us a bit of input on how to win matches. We don’t need the bravado. I’m not having a go at Hardik. I love watching him play. I love him putting out his chest because I was like that,” De Villiers added.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians have been the first team to be eliminated from this season, currently holding the eighth spot in the IPL 2024 standings with four wins from 12 matches and a net run rate of -0.212.