Hardik Pandya announced his arrival in international cricket back in 2016 T20 Word Cup when he defended 11 runs in a dramatic final over against Bangladesh. 10 years down the line, Pandya is playing his fifth ICC tournament in the shortest format, a treasure in every captain’s playing XI.
In the last 10 years, Pandya has seen many ups and downs in life, both on and off the field. Yet the younger of Pandya brothers, leads a humble lifestyle, with an aim to rediscover himself every single day. Opening up on his struggles, Pandya reflected on navigating the highs and lows of his career and rediscovering himself as a cricketer.
“There were early challenges in my international career where I had to hold my ground and back myself. It was important to have belief. In cricket, even if there is just a one per cent chance, until the last ball of the match is bowled, the game is not over,” Pandya said on a JioStar show.
The 30-year-old revealed that after last year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), the “cricket geek” in him lost its spark. Having always backed his bowling, Pandya wanted him to treat himself as a batter of same calibre. “I think the child in me, the cricket geek, who is always there, was focusing more on my skill set as a bowler. I have always had a lot of confidence in my bowling, but batting was something that was very close to my heart.
“After the last IPL, I realized that I really wanted to play to Hardik’s full potential. I think until now, I haven’t utilized more than 40 per cent of my batting potential, and that is genuinely honest feedback. What I know as a cricketer, what I imagine, what I manifest, and how I practice, have not translated into performance by more than 40 per cent,” he added.
That’s when Mahieka Sharma entered Pandya’s life. Speaking for the first time about his girlfriend, Pandya elaborated how Mahieka helped in rediscovering the excitement for the game. “I took some time in my life to figure out how to bring that out. That’s when Mahieka came into my life. We started talking about the sport and how to bring that child back. She helped me rediscover that excitement for the game that I always had.
“I went behind the scenes, worked really hard, and had a good amount of batting sessions. There were days when I was on the ground for six to seven hours. When I went to the NCA, I would go at 3:30 in the afternoon and finish at 12:30 at night. I was usually the last person to leave and shut the lights off,” continued the Indian all-rounder.
‘Felt like I had forgotten how to bat’
Elaborating on rediscovering himself more about his batting, Pandya said that he changed his batting technique and swing. It felt like I had forgotten how to bat. But somewhere down the line, I knew I was heading in the right direction. I think that’s because I was ready for change and ready to take myself to the next level,” he said.
“I could have been very comfortable where I was, but I realized that was not the cricketer I wanted to be. I want to be the cricketer who unleashes himself, sees every opportunity in front of him, and grabs it to the best of his ability. Playing for the country has always been a matter of pride, but expressing that flair was very important to me. When everything finally clicked, I realized that this was what I had been missing,” concluded Pandya.
