Hardik Pandya Accused of Cheating Amid Nasty Divorce Saga

“Hardik Pandya is a cheater” began trending on social media following a bitter turn of events in the divorce proceedings of the Indian cricketer and his estranged wife, Natasa Stankovic.

Fans of Natasa Stankovic took to social media, accusing Hardik Pandya of having affairs with other women while being married to the actress.

“Just because he is a good cricketer doesn’t mean he is a saint or something! We all know what kind of human being he is!! Serial cheater,” a supporter wrote on a popular messaging app.

Additionally, Hardik Pandya was labeled a “rapist,” with some female users recalling his misogynistic comments made on Karan Johar’s talk show.

Netizens criticized the cricketer for his past sexist attitude, alleging that he treated women disrespectfully and viewed them as objects.

On Thursday, Hardik Pandya announced that both he and Natasa Stankovic had decided to end their marriage.

“After 4 years of being together, Natasa and I have decided to mutually part ways. We tried our best together and gave it our all, and we believe this is in the best interest for the both of us. This was a tough decision for us to make, given the joy, mutual respect and companionship we enjoyed together and as we grew a family,” Hardik Pandya posted on his Instagram account.

“We are blessed with Agastya, who will continue to be at the center of both our lives and we will co-parent to ensure that we give him everything that we can for his happiness. We sincerely request your support and understanding to give us the privacy during this difficult and sensitive time,” he added.

The 30-year-old cricketer’s message sparked widespread reactions online, with many fans labeling Natasa Stankovic a gold-digger. Some enthusiasts alleged that she entered into a relationship with Hardik Pandya for financial gain and now seeks significant alimony from the wealthy sportsman.

Speculation regarding the couple’s strained relationship had been circulating for a while, especially after Natasa Stankovic removed the Pandya surname from her social media profiles and deleted all photos with Hardik Pandya from her Instagram account.

She was also noticeably absent from the stands during his international or IPL matches, even amid his career struggles.

For instance, Natasa Stankovic remained silent when Hardik Pandya faced online vitriol and was booed during the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), after he was appointed captain of the Mumbai Indians, replacing Rohit Sharma.

She also didn’t publicly support him following his injury during India’s home ODI World Cup campaign last year.

Moreover, this is not the only setback Hardik Pandya has faced lately. Earlier this week, the national selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, dropped him from leadership positions ahead of the T20I series against Sri Lanka.

In a surprising move, Hardik Pandya was not named the T20I captain, with seasoned batsman Suryakumar Yadav taking the role, and Shubman Gill appointed as the vice-captain.

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif expressed his disappointment, stating that Hardik Pandya had demonstrated his leadership capabilities in the IPL and deserved to lead the national T20 side.

“Hardik has captained the Gujarat Titans for 2 years and in their first year itself, they made it to the final… Hardik has experience captaining the T20I side. He was also the vice-captain at the T20 World Cup. Now, a new coach has arrived; there will be new planning. Surya is also a good player; he has been playing for years. He is a no.1 T20 player, I hope he will shoulder the captain’s responsibility well. But, I feel they should have backed Hardik,” Mohammad Kaif told news agency IANS.

“Gambhir is the experienced captain and coach… He understands cricket very well. I think ‘Hardik ne aisa koi galat kaam nahi kia ki unko captaincy na mile’ (Hardik has not done anything wrong that he should not get the captaincy),” he elaborated.

“He has experience, has captained in the IPL and led a new team (Gujarat Titans) to glory, with fresh and young faces, which is a huge thing. He has made the Titans win by working from Ground Zero in the IPL… I think he was entitled to the captaincy. So let’s just wait and see,” Mohammad Kaif explained.

Meanwhile, Ajit Agarkar, India’s chairman of selectors, dismissed the speculations surrounding Hardik Pandya’s demotion, stating it was a strategic decision.

“Regarding Hardik, he’s still a very important player for us. Fitness has obviously been a challenge for him… Then it becomes difficult for the coach or selectors. Fitness is a clear challenge, and we want someone who is available more often than not. Having said that, we believe Surya has the qualities necessary to be a captain. We also feel we can manage Hardik better, we’ve seen what he can do with the bat and ball in the World Cup… We speak to every player, whether their role has changed. And yeah, we’ve spoken to him,” Ajit Agarkar told reporters ahead of Team India’s departure to Sri Lanka for three T20Is and an equal number of ODIs.

Source: Various News Agencies