India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya does not want to risk Test cricket at the moment due to a back injury. This is also because he knows his utility in the limited-overs format.
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Hardik Pandya has not played the Test since September 2018. He has played only 11 Tests so far but has confirmed his place as an aggressive all-rounder in limited-overs. He is in recovery after a waist surgery last year.
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Hardik Pandya talked about many things on the Cricbuzz show with Harsha Bhogle. He talked about his injury during the Asia Cup, controversies on Koffee with Karan Show, and many other things.
I thought my career was over
Pandya was hurt in 2018 when he was taken from the field on a stretcher during the Asia Cup match against Pakistan. After this injury, he thought that his career is over. He said,
“I genuinely thought that my career is over because I’d never seen anyone being stretchered off. I was knocked out for 10 minutes, after that the pain never went down.
What happens to me is that my body goes into recovery mode straight away. Asia Cup was anyway going to be my last series before being rested but then the injury happened.”
On controversies over Koffee with Karan show
KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya were surrounded by controversies due to anti-women rhetoric on a TV show last year. Hardik Pandya feels he has learned his lesson and accepted his mistake. He added,
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“I just became wiser after the incident. I have made mistakes in my life and the best part in me is I accept them. If I would not have accepted the mistake, one more TV show would’ve been on the cards,”
On Virat and Ravi Shastri
Hardik Pandya reveals Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri have given me freedom and both of them have backed him a lot. He said
“Virat and Ravi Bhai (Shastri), they have given me that freedom, not just to me, but for everyone in the team. That’s the beauty of this current Indian team, we have all made mistakes, but we are also learning at a very rapid pace. Those two have backed me a lot.”
Ricky Ponting is a father figure to me
Hardik Pandya says, Ricky Ponting has taught me a lot during the Indian Premier League
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“In 2015, someone who looked after me the best was Ricky Ponting. He looked after me as a child. I felt like he was a father figure for me. Learnt so much.
Ricky taught me situations, mindsets. He used to sit with me before I went in to bat. I would sit near the boundary rope and call Ricky. He would sit with me and tell me what’s happening. So I grasped and learned quickly,”
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