India's confidence-oozing all-rounder Hardik Pandya has become a vital cog in the wheel to T20I success in recent years. While Pandya helped India win the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados in a thrilling contest against South Africa, the pace-bowling all-rounder said he decided to make change after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Pandya called himself a 'cricket geek' and described how girlfriend Mahieka Sharma helped him rediscover the inner child and put in several hours into practice at the Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru.
“I think the child in me, the cricket geek, who is always there, was focusing more on my skill set as a bowler. I have always had a lot of confidence in my bowling, but batting was very close to my heart,” Pandya said as quoted by JioStar.
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“After the last IPL, I realised that I really wanted to play to Hardik's full potential. I think until now, I haven't utilised more than 40 per cent of my batting potential, and that is genuinely honest feedback.
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“What I know as a cricketer, what I imagine, what I manifest, and how I practice, have not translated into performance by more than 40 per cent. I took some time in my life to figure out how to bring that out. That's when Mahieka came into my life.
“We started talking about the sport and how to bring that child back. She helped me rediscover that excitement for the game that I always had. I went behind the scenes, worked really hard, and had a good amount of batting sessions.
“There were days when I was on the ground for six to seven hours. When I went to the NCA, I would go at 3:30 in the afternoon and finish at 12:30 at night. I was usually the last person to leave and shut the lights off,” he added.
Pandya, the bowler turns up vs Pakistan
Pandya’s big-hitting in the middle order and timely strikes irrespective of the phase of the game have helped India win a lot of games. Against Pakistan, he was dismissed for a golden duck in an attempt to clear the boundary. However, he made a comeback by delivering a wicket-maiden. He executed his plans to perfection and didn’t even look back to check if the catch was taken to dismiss Sahibzada Farhan. Later, he wrapped up the proceedings with tailender Usman Tariq’s wicket as India beat Pakistan by 61 runs.
Before the duck against Pakistan, Pandya scored a blistering half-century against Namibia. He was dismissed cheaply against USA in the campaign opener. So far, he has taken four wickets in the tournament.
Pandya will be seen in action when India take on Netherlands at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on February 18. Their first Super 8 game is scheduled to take place on February 22 at the same venue against South Africa. India’s other two Super 8 opponents are Zimbabwe and West Indies.