IND vs IRE: "It has been difficult, but..." - Hardik Pandya targets Rohit Sharma indirectly
Published - 02 Jun 2024, 10:38 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:12 AM
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya recalled how he overcame “difficult times” over the last few months in his cricketing career ahead of the much-awaited T20 World Cup 2024. Hardik Pandya acknowledged the challenging period but said that he would keep fighting hard rather than avoiding it.
Hardik Pandya was appointed as captain of the Mumbai Indians, replacing long-time skipper Rohit Sharma. The 30-year-old received significant backlash from fans during the IPL 2024. The MI skipper was booed by the crowd at various stadiums, including Wankhede Stadium, earlier in the tournament.
The Baroda-born cricketer had a disappointing IPL 2024 campaign as the captain and player for the Mumbai Indians. The right-handed batter managed to score 216 runs in 14 matches at an average of 18 with a strike rate of 143.05. He took 11 wickets with an average of 35.18 and an economy rate of 10.75.
The Mumbai Indians finished at the bottom of the table despite having a strong team on paper. The five-time champions managed to secure only four wins out of 14 matches in the league stage. The Mumbai-based franchise became the first team to be eliminated in the recently concluded tournament.
It Has Been Difficult - Hardik Pandya
Speaking to Star Sports, Hardik Pandya highlighted his determination to face the challenging period in recent months. Pandya mentioned that giving up would prevent achieving the desired results in sports. He expressed confidence that he would emerge from this challenging phase.
"Eventually, I believe, you have to stay in the battle. Sometimes life puts you in situations where things are tough, but I believe that if you leave the game or the field, the battle that is, you won't get what you want from your sport, or the results you are looking for," Hardik said.
"So, yeah, it has been difficult, but at the same time, I have been process-driven, I have tried to follow the same routines I used to follow earlier," he added.
"At the same time these things happen; there are good times and bad times, these are phases that come and go. That is fine. I have gone through these phases many times and I will come out of it as well."
Don't Take My Successes Too Seriously - Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya stated that he doesn't take his successes too seriously and quickly moves forward. The star cricketer emphasized the importance of staying committed to the sport, continuously improving skills, working hard, and maintaining a positive attitude.
"I don't take my successes too seriously. Whatever I have done well, I have forgotten about them immediately and moved forward. Same with difficult times. I don't run away from it. I face everything with [my] chin up," Pandya continued.
"As they say, this too shall pass. So coming out [of these phases] is simple: just play the sport, accept that [you need to] maybe get better at your skillset, keep working hard - hard work never goes to waste - and keep smiling," he concluded.
Hardik Pandya was appointed as the vice captain of India for the T20 World Cup, despite his poor performance in the IPL 2024. He scored 40 runs off 23 balls in a T20 World Cup warm-up match. He last played for India in the 2023 World Cup. He was ruled out midway through the tournament due to an ankle injury.