Industrialist Anand Mahindra has found his source of Monday Motivation this week in cricketer Hardik Pandya, who played a pivotal role in India’s victory over South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 final held in Barbados on June 29.
Pandya’s remarkable performance came after a challenging season in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he faced significant criticism as the new captain of the Mumbai Indians (MI), replacing Rohit Sharma. Despite the backlash, Pandya’s perseverance and resilience shone through during the World Cup final, where he bowled the nerve-wracking last over, sealing India’s historic win.
In a heartfelt post on social media, Mahindra shared a picture of Pandya in tears after the victory, captioning it with an inspiring message: “Take a good look. This is the face of a sportsperson who was being heckled on the field and roasted on social media a very short while ago. His tears came from seeing redemption. Because when that picture was taken, he was a hero again. For having bowled the nerve-wracking last over in the #T20WorldCupFinal and being one of the key players in achieving India’s victory. The moral? Whenever life deals you a blow and knocks you down, you can, and will, rise again. He’s my #MondayMotivation.”
Take a good look.
This is the face of a sportsperson who was being heckled on the field and roasted on social media a very short while ago.
His tears came from seeing redemption.
Because when that picture was taken, he was a hero again.
For having bowled the nerve-wracking… pic.twitter.com/pTKNCMsyzU— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) July 1, 2024
Pandya’s emotional reaction to the win reflected the immense pressure and hard work he endured. Speaking to a broadcaster after the match, Pandya said, “It means a lot. Very emotional, we’ve been working very hard, and something was not clicking. But today we got what the whole nation wanted. More special for me, how my last six months were, I haven’t spoken a word. I knew that if I kept working hard, I could shine and do what I could do. Getting an opportunity like this makes it more special.”
India’s victory in the T20 World Cup makes them only the third team in the history of the format to lift the trophy twice. Mahindra’s tribute to Pandya resonated with social media users, who applauded the cricketer’s journey of redemption and resilience.