Life comes full circle for Hardik
Kolkata, May 25: In his short international career, Hardik Pandya has seen it all — highs and lows, injuries, surgery, being embroiled in controversies — but he says he faces them with a smiling face. Putting behind all these, Pandya has shone not just as an all-rounder but as a leader, taking an underrated Gujarat Titans to the final in a dream IPL debut season.
“People always talk, that’s their job. I can’t help,” Pandya said in a virtual media interaction after leading the Titans to a seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday night to seal a final berth.
“The name ‘Hardik Pandya’ always sells. I’ve no problem with it, I just take it easy with a smiling face.”
After making his international debut in 2016 following his success with Mumbai Indians, expectations skyrocketed with Pandya as he was compared with the legendary World Cup-winning India skipper Kapil Dev.
In 2019, Pandya was suspended for his loose talk on women on ‘Koffee with Karan’. He later apologised to the inquiry committee of the BCCI.
The 28-year-old star allrounder made his last appearance for India against Namibia in the T20 World Cup in Dubai on November 8 and then struggled to manage his bowling workload post his
back surgery.
Released by Mumbai Indians, Hardik was picked by Gujarat’s for `15 crore ahead of this IPL season. Questions were raised when he was handed captaincy for a team making its debut, but Pandya has delivered, be it with the bat, ball or in his ‘Captain Cool’ demeanour, much like his mentor M.S. Dhoni. “Obviously Mahi bhai has played a big role in my life. He’s a dear brother, a dear friend, and family to me,” Pandya said.
“...I’ve learnt a lot of good things from him,” he added.
Chasing a stiff 189 for a win on a tricky Eden wicket, Hardik played the role of an anchor with an unbeaten 40, while David Miller finished off in style with 68 not out from 38 balls.