The Indian cricket team will kick start their T20 World Cup campaign in Australia in a day and a lot of hopes are pinned on Hardik Pandya to do well. The star all rounder has seen the ups and downs in life very closely in the last couple of years. He was out of the team as he suffered with a back injury and things looked very tough back then. But after his return to full fitness he has shown tremendous ability in his game which also includes his leadership capabilities which came as a shocker as he guided the new IPL franchise Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title in their first year.
It was a year of firsts for the Titans as Hardik also showed tremendous belief in his abilities and replicated that performance for the Indian team. Hence he is one of the players to watch out for especially in Australia conditions where his game thrives.
Recently ahead of the opener against Pakistan, Hardik Pandya sat down for an interview where he shared a lot of things starting from his return to the days of struggle as he credited his family and friends for being the pillar of strength.
“It has to do a lot with helping myself to go back to the basics and approaching everything on a positive note,” Pandya said. “Because of that I have got peace in my life looking at the brighter side always. I know I will have good days and bad days but the positivity comes from the hard work that I put in, which then gives me the self-belief and confidence to give it everything. And with the support of my family to always have my back, I feel a sense of complete focus and positivity around me.”
Pandya has announced his return by amassing 436 runs at a strike rate of 151.38 which is very important for the Indian team. He along with Dinesh Karthik are all set to be the finishers for the team in this World Cup especially after Ravindra Jadeja’s unfortunate injury dismissal.
While his batting has been the main highlight of his strong return, one cannot undermine his bowling as he picked up 12 wickets and it will be his street smartness with the ball that will help India in these bigger grounds Down Under.
“This time the difference was that my family played a big role in terms of letting me be myself. More than anything, letting me have my own time to realize what exactly I want for myself,” he said. “The credit goes to Natasha, Agastya, Krunal – everyone kind of allowed me to maintain my routine and made sure [to realize] that you know what, Hardik right now should focus on himself and he should keep himself as a priority,” the 29-year-old expressed his gratitude towards his family.
He was deeply touched with the gesture of his family, how they gave him priority and stood there when he needed the most and by sharing these stories he expressed his gratitude towards them.
Currently up and running Pandya will surely be one of the players to watch out for in the Indian middle order. A lot relies on him as he has made sure that India is no longer over reliant on their top order as they have middle order players like Suryakumar yadav and Hardik who can take the attack to the opposition on any given day.
