IND vs HK LIVE – Hardik lauds MS Dhoni’s role in his growth: India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has grabbed headlines after his match-winning show against Pakistan in Asia Cup. However, the player has undergone his fair share of ups and downs in his cricket career too. He has now grown in stature as a cricketer and Hardik believes MS Dhoni played an important role in his growth as well. Follow Asia Cup 2022 Live updates with InsideSport.IN
Hardik Pandya has played under a lot of captains, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dhoni and others. But it is important to note that the man from Jharkhand gave Hardik his first maiden India cap in the limited overs format.
Since his debut in 2016, he has gone on to become one of the best Indian all-rounders. He has played 66 ODIs and 68 T20s so far in his career so far apart from the 11 Test matches. Pandya has helped India win matches with both bat and ball, including the last match in the Asia Cup. He scalped three wickets and scored unbeaten 35 at Dubai International Stadium.
The match also brought memories of how Hardik Pandya was stretchered off in 2018 at the same venue four years ago. Even during the tough times, he looked at himself and tried to see how he could improve things. Such change in mindset was brought about by Dhoni, Hardik said.
The emergence of @hardikpandya7 is a story all #TeamIndia fans 💙!
Hear him talk about his growth & gear up to watch 🇮🇳’s new favourite finisher in #INDvHKG tonight.#FollowTheBlues | #BelieveInBlue | DP World #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/dC4p0tdPYq
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 31, 2022
“I always had that in me as to how I can get better. From there, the kind of mindset…one big player who played a big role was Mahi (MS Dhoni). Whenever he was there, I did not ask him a lot of questions. But when I got a chance, I did observe him a lot and learn about things in sport. The kind of mindset, he had and the knowledge. That is somehow reflected in my personality on the field,” Pandya said in a Star Sports video.
However, it has not been all rosy. The player has had his fair share of controversies too. The most infamous being his comments on a TV reality show in India. In fact, his words cost him a place in the team. It is one of the low points of his career. Even last year, his place in the Indian team came under the scanner with injuries not allowing to bowl as well.
The player has come a long way since, winning the IPL as Gujarat Titans captain, and his impressive show in India colours too. Pandya believes failures have also taught him some important things.
“Some failures are meant to be, you experience and learn it. Because of that, I started understanding my roles and where I am good and how I can get better at that. I just added more fruits,” he said.
Follow Asia Cup 2022 Live updates with InsideSport.IN
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