"Is there still time to replace Hardik with Rinku Singh, and make Bumrah vice-captain"- Fans irate as MI skipper falls for golden duck vs LSG

Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya continued his barren run with a golden duck in the crucial encounter against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 30.

Hardik walked in with MI already in deep trouble at 27/3 and nicked his first delivery off Naveen-ul-Haq to the wicketkeeper KL Rahul. His dismissal left the side in shambles at 27/4 in the 6th over.

Hardik has endured a torrid run with bat and ball during his first season as MI captain. He averages under 22 with the willow with no half-centuries and has only 4 wickets with the ball at a dismal economy rate of almost 12 in 10 outings.

Apart from his batting and bowling, Hardik's captaincy has also come under heavy criticism, with MI winning only three out of nine games and sitting in ninth place on the points table.

Fans on Twitter slammed the all-rounder for his sub-par performances and questioned his place as Indian vice-captain in the recently announced T20 World Cup squad.

Here are some of the best reactions:

The trolling and slamming continued for Hardik with one fan saying:

"Hardik pandya pays tribute to Rohit sharma on his birthday by scoring golden duck."

"Instead of Hardik KL Rahul should have been in the main squad...KL Rahul deserves to be the Vice Captain of Indian cricket team," tweeted a fan.

"Hardik Pandya has done nothing for Mumbai Indians this season but but we need new mentality," said another fan.

MI have staged a decent recovery after the four quick wickets with the score currently reading 68/4 in 12 overs.

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Hardik Pandya was named Vice Captain of the Indian squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup

Team India announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA, starting June 1.

While Rohit Sharma was named captain, Hardik Pandya was picked as his deputy for the Mega event. Hardik led the Men in Blue in several games during Rohit's absence last year until his injury at the 50-over World Cup.

Despite his indifferent form at the ongoing IPL, Team India will hope the all-rounder can step up with bat and ball to help them win a second T20 World Cup. They begin their campaign against Ireland in New York on June 5.

Team India squad for 2024 T20 World Cup

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (Vice Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohd. Siraj.