The flamboyant Indian all-rounder, Hardik Pandya has opened up about his special equation with MS Dhoni, saying he never saw him as one of the greatest cricketers of all time but as his brother. Hardik revealed that Dhoni has always come in support of him, especially during the difficult phases of his life. When the all-rounder flew to Ranchi to be at Dhoni’s birthday bash last year during the pandemic, it did not come as a surprise.
During a recent hat with ESPNCricnfo’s CricketMonthly, Hardik Pandya said, “He was. MS was someone who understood me from the start: how I function, what kind of a person I am, what are the things I don’t like, everything. He knows what kind of an individual I am. He knows me quite deep. I am very close to him. He is the only person who can make me calm.”
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He further added, “When all this happened (the television show controversy), he knew that I needed support. I just needed a shoulder, which he provided multiple times in my cricketing career. I never saw him as MS Dhoni the greatest. For me, Mahi is my brother. I respect and admire the fact that he was there when I needed him the most.”
Hardik Pandya even termed MS Dhoni as his “life coach” when he has trouble dealing with certain situations in life and he, every time, gets a solution from the former India captain. The star all-rounder said he doesn’t like people calling Dhoni as “Mr Cool” and that he sees him as a stable person in most situations.
Elaborating the same, the flamboyant all-rounder said, “As I said, only Mahi can make me understand certain things. Sometimes if I get strong-headed and I go into that zone and I believe some things, I have to call him and say, “Yeh soch rahan hoon, kya chal raha hai, batao.” Then he will explain. So, yes, in a lot of ways he is a life coach. Staying with him, obviously, you learn to be mature, you learn to become humble. I have learned a lot by watching him.”
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He further elaborated. “He never loses his cool. Not cool – I don’t like the word, and people calling him Mr. Cool does not suit him. For me, he is always stable. When he goes out, people are always going to him with requests for photos and xyz. I have thoroughly copied how he behaves outside. When I go out now, no matter how many people are there, there will always be a big smile on my face.”
Hardik is part of India’s 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup, which is commenced in Oman on October 17. He will need to prove his worth in the tournament, but his doubts over his bowling form haven’t been so assuring about his playing in the XI.
