Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been one of most talked about Indian players in recent times. He got the limelight through IPL and since then it was no looking back for him.
Hardik has shown improvement in each passing game and his rise has been exponential, from being looked at as a T20 specialist to scoring a century in Tests. News18 India’s reporter Vimal Kumar caught up with Pandya who has been ‘rested’ for the Sri Lanka. Here are some excerpts from the interview:
When asked about he being rested from the SL Test series, Pandya replied, “To be honest, I asked for it. My body wasn’t up for it, I have some niggles because of the amount of cricket that I have played. I want to play cricket when I am totally up for it when I can give my 100 percent. I am lucky that I have got this break. I will train in the gym during this break and improve my fitness. I won’t lie, I am really excited about the South Africa series. I would like to use this break to improve my fitness for the series.”
He further elaborated, “I have played 30 ODIs, 25 T20s and 3 Tests in last one year. If they are saying I have played less cricket then I want to tell them ‘I am sorry.’ As an all-rounder it’s even more difficult.”
Hardik also expressed his excitement for the upcoming South Africa tour as he said that he always like challenges and want to make difference for the team. He is also confident of doing well in that series.
Analysing his career in recent times, Pandya said, “I am not the same person I was three years back. The amount of love and respect I received, I would say that god has been kind to me. Obviously, I have worked hard for it. Confidence is everything. MS Dhoni had told me that there is a fine line between confidence and over-confidence. Make sure that you put your foot on this side and not that side.”
Pandya even acknowledged that Dhoni and skipper Virat Kohli has been the biggest influencers for him in Team India. He said, “Virat is a gem of guy. We keep on laughing, we keep on pulling each other’s legs. We have a very strong bond.”
When asked about him being a fan of Wasim Jaffer, Hardik asserted, “I was always a fan. I used to copy him and I even told him that I am his fan, he replied that there is not much left of him. But yes I would like to meet him again if I get the opportunity.”
Hardik even revealed that who forced him to go for fast-bowling, he said, “The credit goes to my coach Sanath Kumar, he gave me the confidence that I can bowl fast. It’s funny that I even got a message from him when I played for India, saying that I should try my hand at leg spin as well.”
Sharing the biggest turning point of his life, Pandya said, “My life changed when I got a chance to play for MI(Mumbai Indians) and then I never looked back. I had a failure and that’s when I learned to be even more professional. You need to go through the bad experiences. That’s how you improve in life. Sachin Sir (Tendulkar) once said that I can play for India. I thought that if Sachin sir is saying this then I can definitely play, I was very happy.”
Talking about his comparison with Kapil Dev, Pandya said, “I have always said that what he did in his life was tremendous. Even if I do 10 percent of what he did, I will be happy. I don’t like comparisons. I respect people but don’t try to follow them because things that worked for them wouldn’t necessarily work for me.”
Hardik even rubbished off the news that he will be quitting Mumbai Indians if got a chance, as he has got everything through that franchise. Sharing his camaraderie with head coach Ravi Shastri, Pandya said, “He might be the coach, but he is the real rockstar. He is the cool dude. He gives me the freedom and the confidence at this level. We gel pretty well with him.”
Talking about his failures in the recent T20I series against New Zealand, Pandya said, “It’s all about the situation. And one more thing, we can’t be successful all the time. Cricket is not that easy a game that you keep on scoring all the time. Even if I bat at number 3, I have the license to go for the kill.”
Hardik even predicted that his elder brother Krunal Pandya will also play for India soon and he is looking forward to shared I am very excited to share space with him in the Indian dressing room.
Talking about his connection with films, Pandya said, “There were days I used to watch the morning shows as they were the cheapest. They used to cost Rs 30-40 and those were the only ones I could afford to watch. It’s funny now as I buy five tickets so that no stranger annoys me when I watch a movie.”
Pandya even revealed that Akshay Kumar is his favorite actor, but once Amitabh Bachchan told his father that his father has given two outstanding sons to India. He has even recorded that moment as a video and loves watching it again and again.
Pandya concluded by talking about his future plans, he said, “I don’t have any future goals, I just want to become better every day, that’s my only goal. I want to keep on doing what I am doing and also do good for the people.”
