The year 2022 will always be remembered for the reincarnation of Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder has been in impeccable form since his return to action in IPL 2022. Be it providing crucial breakthroughs or finishing the game for his team, the last 4-5 months have witnessed him doing everything that requires a player to be outstanding. In fact, the 27-year-old is also being eyed as one of the potential future captains of Team India.
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Pandya has indeed etched himself as an invaluable asset of the white-ball team but the road to success was never easy. The back injury he picked up in the 2018 Asia Cup troubled him for the next 3 years after which he finally decided to detach himself from the game and rehabilitate at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. After spending 4 months at the NCA, Pandya rediscovered the mojo in the IPL and since then, he has been entertaining the fans with his prowess.
Former India pacer Ashish Nehra, who observed Pandya from close quarters at the Gujarat Titans camp in the IPL, believes that the all-rounder’s son Agastya is one of the reasons behind his evolution.
“Yes, even I’ve observed it. And it is necessary. With time and experience, you learn things both as a human being and as a player. Pandya is no different. You might have seen him talking about it. He has said that he has learned different things from different experiences. Now he is married, father of a kid, and matured. With Agastya’s arrival, he has become calmer and is more focused on his work," Nehra told ICC in a conversation.
“That is great for him and Indian cricket. I played with him in 2016 before I retired. I’ve played with him for 1-2 years in T20s just before my retirement and when his career was just beginning. He has always been hard-working and skilful. He is only 28, he has a lot of time. Now that he has things under his control, he will keep showing us this kind of form, this calmness," he added.
Hardik was involved in off-field controversies that also affected his career. He was even criticised for his attitude. However, Nehra feels that people shouldn’t speak about cricketer’s life off the field.
“Most importantly, people talk. When one does well, people praise. But some time back, when he was injured and not doing well, people were criticizing his lifestyle. I personally feel no one should talk about what players do off the field. How you prepare yourself and how hard you work in the field, is more important.
“People say that Pandya is not a good student. But he should be a good student on the ground, off-field stuff does not matter. You get better with experience. As life progresses, you learn things. And he has been doing that," Nehra opined.
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