Ex-Indian opener speculates Hardik Pandya’s trade deal ‘hurt’ Ego of Jasprit Bumrah.
Another day and another theory have been presented about the historic trade deal involving all-rounder Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder’s move from the Gujarat Titans to the Mumbai Indians has gotten the fans buzzing, with rumours doing the rounds aplenty. Ranging from the fee that he would receive to whether he would be made captain or not, fans and former cricketers have been dropping their two cents, some of which could make sense while others may not.
Now former Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srrikanth has added another dimension to Hardik Pandya’s trade. The World Cup winner attempted to link Hardik's transfer to MI to Jasprit Bumrah and how it could have potentially ‘hurt’ the pacer. Talking about the deal on his YouTube channel, he elaborated on how the pacer was expecting to become MI’s next skipper after Rohit Sharma but was cut out of the race after Pandya’s transfer.
K. Srikkanth said, “He is the best bowler in the world. Whether it was tests or white-ball cricket, he literally put his life on the line for India at the World Cup. He was the stand-in captain for India in the 5th Test against England in 2022. How must he be feeling? You can call it anger or ego. He would have been hurt, which is the right thing to say. Either his ego is hurt or he is generally hurt. He must be thinking, ‘I have been performing for the team for so long, and how you have deceived me and gone instead of leaving the team earlier and is now making a comeback’. He feels that things are not fair for him.”
Srikkanth further opined that the team management of the Mumbai Indians would sit down and sort things out’ between Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya. Lavishing praise on Bumrah, Srikkanth speculated that the pacer was ‘hurt’ by the trade deal, referring to the cryptic posts put out by him on social media.