Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya opened up on the experience of captaining Team India. However, he missed the white-ball tour of England as he was recovering from injury and not fully fit as well. Notably, Hardik Pandya’s first stint as the India team captain came in 2022 in a T20I against Ireland at Dublin. He later led in ODIs too, making his debut against Australia in 2023 as well. He expressed that he never played for the tag and believed in his ability to lead without being skipper as well.

“When it comes to leadership, I never doubted myself. I don’t play for roles or the say on my name. It was always about knowing that I am a leader, knowing that I have the power and presence in any team that I play, where all 11 will follow me if I ask them. I always believed that you don’t need to be a captain to be a leader. You can be a leader as a player as well,” he said during a conversation on SGTV.

“Very fortunate and grateful. I never played for that. But it’s a dream of everyone who starts the journey to just play for India, but captaining is another honour. But that feeling was only for five minutes. After that, it was about thinking what we can do better. I loved the moment for five minutes and cherished it. I don’t keep all these things too close, as it can go anytime,” he again shared.

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However, Hardik Pandya shared his mindset while recovering from injuries and making comebacks. For him, answering people was not as important as being in a good space as well.

“It was never about answering questions which people ask, as it is irrelevant for me. For me, what matters is am I happy with what I am doing. The very reason I had to take time off was to get fresh from my own mind and get that vibe. It was to enjoy the sport. When I was working hard, it was for myself, for my own happiness, my own peace and not anyone else. When things are going well, everyone can say I answered critics, but it was never about that. It was about me feeling good about myself,” he said.

“From where I came and the journey I have followed, I had to stand out. I had a lot of problems growing up as I was a different personality from the start. I just liked colors, I was bubbly and would always joke around. I was an outside the box person and not like a traditional cricketer. Now it played well for me, but at that point I would always get dropped, not because of my runs, but my attitude. Honestly, I did not even know what ‘attitude’ was. I had no idea,” Hardik Pandya concluded.