AB de Villiers clarifies after his “not genuine, ego driven” remark on Hardik Pandya’s MI captaincy goes viral

Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers had to clarify his comments on Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s ‘bravado’ as captain for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. Hardik infamously replaced Rohit Sharma as MI captain ahead of the IPL 2024.

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Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya has been under constant scrutiny since the start of the IPL 2024 season. Fans were unhappy with the management’s call to replace Rohit Sharma as captain and hand the reins to the India all-rounder.

As MI struggled for form and became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament, the pressure on Hardik only grew, with his leadership coming under fire. Even former RCB and South Africa star AB de Villiers appeared to question Hardik’s ‘bravado-style’ captaincy, though he has now clarified his stance.

I love the way he captains: AB de Villiers on Hardik Pandya’s leadership qualities

De Villiers declared in a recent ruling that he adores Hardik's captaincy, but he went on to explain why he felt it was "not genuine."

"I see there is a lot of activity on X about the comments I made about Hardik Pandya and the Mumbai Indians. And it's a shame that journalism and reporting have gotten so low (laughs). And I am very happy that some of you have pointed it out, taking some of those comments out and leaving the rest," AB de Villiers said in a video on his YouTube channel.

He also acknowledged that experienced players find it difficult to adopt the all-rounder's leadership style.

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"I very clearly stated, and I will state this again -- I absolutely love the way Hardik Pandya plays his game. I love the way he captains. All I can say is, his style of captaincy is something that he has certainly worked on. It's not something that you can just walk out of the door, and you are a brave captain.

Why I said it's not always genuine is because I played exactly the same way. I was not the soft-spoken, genuine AB de Villiers that I was at my home. The guy you saw on the field was, in a way, 'an act.' Sometimes, you have to put up a front and show the opposition that you are a force to reckon with. That's what Hardik Pandya does. I am saying that style is not always the easiest style to adapt to, especially for some senior players,” De Villiers added.

AB de Villiers further took a dig at the pseudo-journalists for creating tension out of nothing over his quote on Hardik Pandya.

"I love Hardik Pandya," that's what I said. To you reporters out there, I am sorry to burst your bubble," De Villiers further said.

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