"Hardik Pandya Wasn't A Free Man, A Lot Going On": Harbhajan Singh On MI's Poor IPL Show

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has nothing but empathy for Hardik Pandya as he navigates a challenging phase in his career and is hopeful that the all-rounder, who "hasn't been a free man in the last two months", will become one during next month's T20 World Cup. Pandya endured a forgettable IPL both as captain and player with his team Mumbai Indians ending bottom of the heap in the points table. What made things worse was the incessant jeering of fans whenever he took the field, including at MI's home turf -- the Wankhede Stadium.

But Harbhajan expects the tide to turn in the Americas during the T20 showpiece.

"When he wears that blue jersey, he will be a different Hardik Pandya because we know he can score those runs and take those wickets. I want Hardik to come good as he has gone through a lot and I wish him all the very best to have a very good tournament for India," Harbhajan told PTI in an exclusive interview.

"If he has a good tournament, obviously India will have a great chance to go forward," he said.

"Yes, his form is a bit of a concern...and lot of other stuff was going on around him, his shifting from Gujarat to Mumbai, was a big change and the team (MI) didn't react too well to Hardik coming back and that too as captain," the 43-year-old added.

The reason for the fan backlash against Pandya was MI's decision to hand him the captaincy after taking it away from the long-serving Rohit Sharma.

There was speculation throughout the season that MI's dressing room was a divided house due to the change of guard. Rohit will now captain the national side with Pandya as his deputy in the World Cup starting June 1.

Harbhajan, a multi format World Cup-winner, urged the team management to bring Pandya and Rohit