Hardik Pandya was picked by the Ahmedabad franchise ahead of the 2022 Indian Premier League mega auction. Ahmedabad decided to offer all-rounder Pandya his first full-time opportunity as a skipper in the IPL. Pandya was released by the Mumbai Indians ahead of the mega auction.
The all-rounder from Baroda made his IPL debut in the year 2015 with the Mumbai Indians. For seven years he represented the team from Mumbai and was instrumental in four title wins in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Pandya spoke about his journey with Mumbai and also his experience playing under MS Dhoni’s captaincy in the Indian team.
Pandya's words
“When I played for Mumbai Indians, I learned a lot of things. When I played for India I played under great captains like Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni), the way he led us, the freedom he gave us. When the offer was made I asked my family, my friends, my brother, who has always been an important part of all the decisions that I have made and we all came to the conclusion that we all have a leader within us. The kind of situations and the roles that I have played for Mumbai Indians and the Indian team, the leader was always there in me, it was a matter of time till I had the C (for captain) beside my name. When this offer came, I thought I should go for it.” Pandya told Economic Times.
The all-rounder said his preparation is presently for the World Cup.
“All my training, planning, preparation is keeping the World Cup in mind. I want to win the World Cup for the country. It will make me really happy and proud. It is like an obsession with me. IPL will give me a very good preparatory platform for the World Cup but all the hard work ultimately is for the Indian team and the World Cup,” said Pandya.
Possible replacement
In the absence of the star all-rounder, Venkatesh Iyer was provided with an opportunity in his position after the T20 World Cup.
However, his performances in three T20Is against New Zealand and two ODIs against South Africa have not been impressive. Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur, meanwhile, have produced solid performances with both bat and ball during the recently concluded ODI series against South Africa.
Pandya also spoke about his physical as well as mental fitness.
“I have always rushed myself with my preparation keeping the team’s interest in mind. But this time I wanted some time off to prepare myself physically and mentally. I also wanted to take some time off for my family. We have spent a lot of time in bio bubbles, though everyone has tried to make us feel comfortable, staying in a bio bubble is very tough," the 28-year-old all-rounder explained.
