After playing a crucial role in India’s 82-run victory against South Africa in the 4th T20I in Rajkot, the Indian all-rounder, Hardik Pandya during a conversation with Player of the Match Dinesh Karthik explained how he will always be thankful to former Indian skipper, MS Dhoni for helping him mature as a cricketer.

Hardik, who played a brilliant knock of 46 off 31 balls on Friday, MS Dhoni told him to always focus on what the team requires rather than thinking about his own game. When asked by Karthik about the changes he has had to make between representing the Gujarat Titans, whom he led to IPL 2022 title, and representing India, Hardik recalled back on one piece of advice Dhoni had given in the early stages of his career.

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Ina video shared by BCCI, Hardik Pandya was heard saying, “In my early days, I asked Mahi bhai one question. I asked him how he gets away from pressure, and he gave me some very simple advice — ‘stop thinking about your own score and start thinking about what your team requires’. From very early, that lesson has stuck to my mind and helped me become the kind of player I am now.”

In-flight insightful conversation 👌
Learning from the great @msdhoni 👍
Being an inspiration 👏

DO NOT MISS as @hardikpandya7 & @DineshKarthik chat after #TeamIndia's win in Rajkot. 😎 😎 – By @28anand

Full interview 📽️👇 #INDvSA | @Paytmhttps://t.co/R6sPJK68Gy pic.twitter.com/wx1o9dOPNB

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 18, 2022

Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik stitched together a 65-run partnership in the fourth T20I against South Africa, guiding India from a precarious position to one of strength. Talking about the knock, Hardik said, “Nothing changes because I have started playing the situation. I want to get better with time.”

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Hardik batted at number 4 for the Gujarat Titans, and while he scored at a lower strike rate than what he had made his name for, he received many plaudits for playing with a maturity that his team required. Hardik Pandya also called Karthik an inspiration for him and for many young players following Karthik’s recent exploits in the IPL and also for India.

Hardik Pandya said, “I remember when you were not even in the scheme of things, in the IPL, or a lot of people counted you out, I remember those conversations, you said you wanted to play for India again and play at the World Cup. It is genuinely inspirational, and I know a lot of people will learn new things.”