Abhishek Nayar opens up on Hardik Pandya’s preparations, says he works hard on his fitness

Former Indian batting coach Abhishek Nayar has shed light on Hardik Pandya’s preparations before and during a particular tournament or series. Nayar, who observed Pandya from close quarters during his stint with the team, said the all-rounder works a lot on his fitness, health, and body.

Pandya has been a consistent performer for India in the white ball format and he has been ticking the right boxes in his preparations. Nayar revealed Pandya doesn’t believe much in skills, and he works harder on his bowling than batting.

“He is actually slightly different. He doesn’t believe too much in skill. He practices a lot, but he practices bowling more than batting. However, he pays a lot of attention to his fitness, health, and body. He has a routine, where he does yoga, concentrates on his nutrition, and trains for two to two-and-a-half hours every day,” Nayar said on Sony Sports.

“He is extremely diligent there. He always remains right mentally, but he tries to remain physically right. After that, he does whatever pre-tournament preparation he deems right. However, otherwise, he is mentally extremely strong,” Nayar observed.

On the other hand, former Indian batter Ajay Jadeja said Pandya doesn’t get rattled when he is put under pressure.

“That’s his strength. He has the skills – batting, bowling, and fielding. He is an athlete as well, but he has been seen batting at the end in many important matches against Pakistan. He doesn’t get rattled, although you might have seen his partners getting rattled at times,” he replied.

The former Indian skipper said Pandya’s biggest strength is his confidence and recalled how the MI captain stayed strong during a tough season of IPL 2024.

“His strength has been his confidence. When things don’t go well, it seems like he is overconfident. There is a very fine line between confidence and overconfidence. If you see the second-last MI season, his belief remained the same, but nothing happened the entire year,” Jadeja observed.

Pandya will be in action against Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Sunday