Hardik Pandya runs with pet dog tied behind him, internet calls it ‘cruel', tags PETA: ‘Really sad, unfair'

Mint

16 hours ago

Cricketer Hardik Pandya shared a glimpse of his day on social media, but it quickly took an unexpected turn. Pandya was out with his son Agastya and their pet dog for a fun-filled day. While he shared a picture and videos from their quick outing, the internet did not like what the cricketer did to his pet dog.
'Out for a run with my partners in crime,' wrote Hardik in the caption of his Instagram post.
The first picture is a selfie of him with Agastya inside an elevator. Their pet dog is also seen with them on a leash.
In the following videos, Hardik is seen running on tracks and training himself. However, he wasn't alone. He tied his pet dog behind him on a leash and ran. While it looked like any other adorable dog video on the internet, many raised concerns about the four-legged animal.
Reacting to the post, a user wrote in the comments, 'Kutte ki jan loge kya bhai (do you want to kill your dog?)'
'This is really sad, you shouldn't do this to such a small dog!! Or a big one for that matter,' added another.
One more commented, 'Leash over the neck for this can injure the dog.'
Someone also tagged PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), the international animal rights organisation, for their intervention. The person wrote, '@peta please verify.'
'This is CRUEL. Poor pup,' said yet another worried netizen.
On the work front, Hardik Pandya is currently out of action for Team India until October, ahead of the Australia tour.
He is recuperating and training himself after a decent IPL 2025 season, where the Mumbai Indians finished 4th after being knocked out by the Punjab Kings.
Last month, Hardik was in the news not for his matches but for his alleged past dating rumours with Bollywood actor Esha Gupta.
During a candid chat on Siddharth Kannan's YouTube channel, Esha confirmed that she and Hardik were indeed in touch with each other for a brief period. She added that things never progressed into a relationship, as assumed by many.
'There was a time we were talking… maybe it would happen, maybe it wouldn't. But we never reached the dating stage,' Esha said.
'We met once or twice, that's all. It ended before anything even began.'
The actor also clarified that there was no bad blood between them. 'There was no drama or bitterness. It just wasn't meant to be," she added.