With money and fame, and some spare time, anybody can come up with wildest acts of self-aggrandisation, even at the expense of some else's self-esteem. That's what India cricketer Hardik Pandya did recently, of course with no malice. The flambouyant all-rounder, who is recuperating from a surgery, took precious time off his busy schedule to wish legendary Zaheer Khan a happy birthday on Monday. (More Cricket News)
"Happy birthday Zak ... Hope you smash it out of the park-like I did here @ImZaheer," Pandya tweeted. But the seemingly innocuous wish was riddled with superiority complex, and fans termed it disrespectful -- especially from a public figure, who ought to have some sense of propriety. They are the role models.
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Then came the reply from Zaheer Khan, who oversaw the likes of Hardik at Indian Super League (IPL) champions, Mumbai Indians as the Director of Cricket Operations. In his thank you note, the former India pacer wrote, "Hahahaha....thank you for the wishes @hardikpandya7 my batting skills can never be as good as yours but the birthday was as good as the next delivery you faced from me in this match."
That's when fans realised money can't buy class.
For the "out of the park" part, it was in reference to what looked like a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match wherein Hardik hit an unbeaten 82 off 57 balls to help Baroda beat Mumbai by 19 runs.
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Zaheer, one of the finest Indian pacers, turned 41 on Monday. He played 92 Tests, 200 ODIs and 17 T20Is, claiming 311, 282 and 17 wickets in a career spanning 14 years.
Meanwhile, Hardik just underwent a lower back surgery in England.
