MI captain and India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has finally broken his silence on his terrible time in the Indian Premier League.
Pandya had kept a straight face throughout the IPL 2024, always smiling during the post-match interviews with the broadcaster.
I believe a lot in hard work.
"Hardik Pandya right now at 30 is a much, much easier job compared to what Hardik Pandya was when I was 16.
Hard work gave me opportunities and opened doors for me.
MI captain and India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has finally broken his silence on his terrible time in the Indian Premier League. Hardik Pandya’s return to MI as the captain of the franchise was seen as one of the biggest transfers ever in IPL history, but things went horribly wrong for the all-rounder and the franchise in the 2024 season of the tournament. MI lost more than 400,000 followers on Twitter on the day of the announcement and then the fans protested against Pandya by booing him at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
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Pandya’s form did not help his case as well as the all-rounder scored 216 runs at an average of 18 and picked 11 wickets at an economy of almost 11 runs per over. Pandya was slammed by fans and experts alike and looked visibly frustrated throughout the season. The all-rounder finally broke his silence ahead of India’s T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up game against Bangladesh and said that he was not the one to run away from a fight.
“You have to stay in the battle. Sometimes life puts you in situations where things are tough, but I believe that if you leave the game or the field, the battle that is, you won't get what you want from your sport, or the results you are looking for," Hardik Pandya told Star Sports in an exclusive interview.
"So, yeah, it has been difficult, but at the same time, I have been process-driven, I have tried to follow the same routines I used to follow earlier,” he further added.
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Pandya said that good and bad times come and go, and he was not experiencing this for the first time in his life. Pandya had kept a straight face throughout the IPL 2024, always smiling during the post-match interviews with the broadcaster.
“These things happen; there are good times and bad times, these are phases that come and go. That is fine. I have gone through these phases many times and I will come out of it as well. I don't take my successes too seriously. Whatever I have done well, I have forgotten about them immediately and moved forward. Same with difficult times," he said.
"I don't run away from it. I face everything with [my] chin up,” Pandya said.
"As they say, this too shall pass. So coming out [of these phases] is simple: just play the sport, accept that [you need to] maybe get better at your skillset, keep working hard - hard work never goes to waste - and keep smiling,” he further added.
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OWE IT TO MY 16-YEAR-OLD SELF
Pandya told the broadcaster of the T20 World Cup that he had immense self-belief and he was only focusing on getting better and better with his skillset. Pandya smashed a rapid 40* off just 23 balls against Bangladesh in India’s only warm-up game in the T20 World Cup 2024. Pandya helped India reach a 182-run total in a tricky two-paced pitch in New York.
"I think it comes down to self-belief. I believe a lot in hard work. You can succeed only if you put in the effort for it. I want to give myself the opportunity toâæ why do I prepare and commit myself every time? The only reason is that while I am not guaranteed success, I am guaranteed an opportunity to be successful. I focus simply on how do I keep getting better. Speak to myself. Try to know my real version,” Pandya said.
The Indian T20I vice-captain concluded the interview by saying that his 16-year-old version was his real motivator and he owed it to him to constantly work hard.
"Hardik Pandya right now at 30 is a much, much easier job compared to what Hardik Pandya was when I was 16. So I go back to the 16-year-old and I ask him how did you do it, why did you do it? At that point of time, I didn't have facilities or opportunities. Hard work gave me opportunities and opened doors for me. So I am in that zone right now [where] I am going and asking the 16-year-old - because he is my actual motivator, because if that guy hadn't set the platform I probably wouldn't have been here,” Pandya concluded.
Published By: Kingshuk Kusari Published On: Jun 1, 2024
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