Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya made a successful return to action after recovering from a back injury. Pandya first led Gujarat Titans to glory in IPL 2022 and he led from the front with both bat as well as the ball.
Subsequently, Pandya has performed consistently for the national team in white-ball formats. There were question marks on Pandya’s bowling fitness but he has bowled consistently around the 140 kmph mark.
Pandya is confident ahead of the high-octane clash against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. The all-rounder admitted that he is going to have good and bad days but the positivity comes from the hard work which he puts into his training.
“It has to do a lot with helping myself to go back to the basics and approaching everything on a positive note,” Pandya said while talking to RISE Worldwide. “Because of that I have got peace in my life looking at the brighter side always. I know I will have good days and bad days but the positivity comes from the hard work that I put in, which then gives me the self-belief and confidence to give it everything. And with the support of my family to always have my back, I feel a sense of complete focus and positivity around me.”
Pandya revealed that he received a lot of support from his family members, which helped him in following the right process and deliver for his team.
“This time the difference was that my family played a big role in terms of letting me be myself. More than anything, letting me have my own time to realize what exactly I want for myself,” he said. “The credit goes to Natasha, Agastya, Krunal – everyone kind of allowed me to maintain my routine and made sure [to realize] that you know what, Hardik right now should focus on himself and he should keep himself as a priority. And because of that, I was able to understand a lot of things that I had kind of forgotten over the years while playing because there are certain things you don’t write down, it just happens. But because of the support from my family I was able to know this without again experiencing – it was just remembering that, okay, at that point of time I used to feel this, this point of time I used to feel this,” he said.
Pandya is going to hold the key for the Indian team in the T20 World Cup, both as a batter as well as a bowler. The 29-year-old also likes bowling short and he is expected to get help from the Australian pitches, which are known for its pace and bounce.
India and Pakistan will take on each other at the MCG on Sunday.
