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Hardik Pandya has seen everything – highs and lows, endless injuries, being entangled in controversies -however he says he faces them with a grinning face.
Putting behind every one of these, Pandya has sparkled as an all-rounder as well as a captain, taking an under-evaluated Gujarat Titans to the final in a 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.”
The 28-year-old star all-rounder showed up 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 Rs 15 crore ahead of this IPL season.
Questions were raised when he was given captaincy for a group making its debut, however Pandya has conveyed, be it with the bat, ball or in his ‘Captain Cool’ disposition, similar as his mentor MS 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 have learnt a lot of good things from him. For me, it was more about being individually strong which I’m really proud of myself as well how I was able to manage all the parts.”
Generally coming at number four, Pandya is at the fifth spot in the graph for most productive hitters this season, with 453 runs at a 45-plus average and a solid strike rate of 132.84.
“Before the captaincy as well, I always made sure that I approached all the situations in a cool-headed way. Generally, you make better decisions that way,” he said about his recipe for success in this IPL.
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