'Crossed A Line': Hardik Pandya Slams Paps For Taking 'Cheap' Photo Of GF Mahieka Sharma

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has slammed the paparazzi for taking ‘cheap’ photos of his girlfriend, Mahieka Sharma. He said he has accepted the life of ‘attention and scrutiny’, but no woman deserves

to be photographed in a way that crosses the boundaries and hurts their dignity.

Two years after his separation from ex-wife Natasa Stankovic, Pandya confirmed his relationship with Mahieka, a model, on October 10. Since then, the couple has posted several photos and videos together.

“I understand that living in the public eye comes with attention and scrutiny; it’s part of the life I’ve chosen. But today, something happened that crossed a line,” Pandya wrote on Instagram.

“Mahieka was simply walking down a staircase at a Bandra restaurant when paparazzi decided to capture her from an angle that no woman deserves to be photographed from. A private moment was turned into cheap sensationalism. This isn’t about headlines or who clicked what; it’s about basic respect. Women deserve dignity. Everyone deserves boundaries,” he added.

“To the media brothers who work hard every day: I respect your hustle, and I always cooperate. But I’m requesting you all, please be a little more mindful. Not everything needs to be captured. Not every angle needs to be taken. Let’s keep some humanity in this game. Thank you,” he said.

Pandya has spent the past couple of months in rehab from his quad injury. He returned to action in the recent matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and is now set to take the field in the first T20I against South Africa on Tuesday (December 9) in Cuttack.

He’ll provide balance to the team, and discussion about the value he adds to the team has already started.

“Pandya can earn a spot in the top five solely on his batting. He could also be among the top three seamers in any team if he were just a bowler. To be that kind of all-rounder, you must secure your place with both batting and bowling. There is no player like Hardik Pandya in the Indian team.”