Hardik Pandya is currently gearing up to lead Mumbai Indians (MI) in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 17th season of the cash-rich tournament will mark Hardik's return to top-level competitive cricket after more than four months. The Indian all-rounder featured in the DY Patil T20 Cup recently after undergoing rehabilitation for months for the injury he sustained during the 2023 ODI World Cup.
During India's World Cup match against Bangladesh, Hardik had to walk off the field after suffering an ankle injury. Later, Hardik was ruled out of the competition.
Hardik Pandya reflects on injury
In a recent interaction, Hardik revealed the extent of the injury he suffered during the World Cup and talked about how despite making all the efforts, he couldn't return to the Indian side for the remaining World Cup matches.
"I had preparing for the World Cup for more than a year. It was a freak injury during the match. The injury was said to be for 25 days and that would mean I would miss the rest of the World Cup, but I pushed," Hardik said on Star Sports.
"I told the management that I would return after five days. I got injections done on my ankle in three places. I had to remove blood from my ankle because of the swelling. I wanted to give everything.
"At one point I did know that if I keep pushing, I might be injured for a long time, but for me, it was never the answer. Even if there was a one percent chance, I could be with the team, I would do it. While I was pushing for that, I had a reoccurrence which eventually became a three-month injury. I was aiming to run when I could not walk after pushing for 10 days, but I missed out," the all-rounder added.
A new challenge awaits Hardik
Hardik is not new to captaincy. He led the Gujarat Titans to glory in their maiden IPL season in 2022. But leading a franchise like Mumbai Indians, which jointly holds the record for winning the most number of titles, presents a daunting challenge. Furthermore, Hardik will be filling the shoes of Rohit Sharma - a talismanic leader who changed the fortunes of the franchise around.
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