Hardik Pandya lands in fresh controversy as the scene in the web series is said to be a reflection of his customs row at Mumbai airport

India’s all-rounder Hardik Pandya has unexpectedly found himself in another storm ahead of his return to the national flag against New Zealand after a scene from a recently released Netflix series sparked a fresh debate over his past airport controversy.

Hardik Pandya back in news as Netflix series sparks old controversy at Mumbai Airport

The crime thriller Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web is set at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and follows a special customs team working to stop the smuggling. The web series stars Emraan Hashmi as customs officer Arjun Meena and focuses on high-profile interceptions at one of the world’s busiest international airports.

However, the makers of the series, Neeraj Pandey and Raghav Jairath, have clearly stated that the story is completely fictional, but one scene in the fifth episode forces everyone to look beyond the series. In that episode, customs officials stop an “IPL superstar” arriving from Rome and recover luxury items worth crores, including expensive watches.

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The scene immediately reminded many viewers of the real episode at Mumbai Airport involving Hardik Pandya in 2021. At the time, several media reports claimed that two luxury watches worth around Rs 5 crore were seized from Hardik Pandya when he returned from Dubai after the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup.

Hardik Pandya cleared his name while waiting in line at the airport

However, the Indian all-rounder strongly denied those reports. He clarified that only one watch, worth around Rs 1.5 crore, was taken by customs purely for valuation. Pandya also stated that he voluntarily went to the customs counter, declared the watch himself and was willing to pay the required duty.

As reported by ANI, customs officials had only asked for documents to complete the valuation process, and Pandya fully cooperated throughout the process. He later clarified that he was not involved in any wrongdoing and emphasized that he follows the law.

Still, the similarity between the Netflix series’ scene and Pandya’s airport episode has revived online discussions, putting his name in the headlines again ahead of the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting January 21 in Nagpur.

Nitish Kumar Reddy was Hardik Pandya’s replacement, but the performance raises doubts

Recently, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said that Nitish Kumar Reddy is being groomed as a possible future replacement for Hardik Pandya with a long-term plan in mind, possibly before the 2027 ICC World Cup, raising questions about the senior all-rounder’s future.

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However, Nitish has struggled to deliver consistent performances when given opportunities. Despite repeated opportunities, the all-rounder has failed to make a strong impact.

Even in the second ODI against New Zealand, Reddy was dismissed for 20 and bowled just 2 overs as India lost the match by seven wickets in Rajkot.

Now, the ODI series decider will be played in Indore on January 18 and it remains to be seen if the youngster will get the chance against the Black Caps.

Ryan ten Doeschate stated: “With Nitish we keep talking about developing him and getting him playing time. When you do get him playing time, often he doesn’t do much in the games.”