Hardik Pandya Was Shocked When He Wasn't Retained By Mumbai Indians - Ravi Shastri

Former Team India head coach Ravi Shastri said that Hardik Pandya had a tough time coming to terms with the fact that he was let go by Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.

Hardik began his IPL stint with MI back in 2015. He has won five trophies with them but the all-rounder wasn’t retained ahead of the mega auction. He ended up in Gujarat Titans (GT), where he was the captain.

“It shocked him when he was not retained by Mumbai Indians. It was tough… MI had Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharna, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya so they had to pick three out of those five. Ishan Kishan was obviously picked in the auction,” Shastri said on commentary during the second ODI between England and India at Lord’s.

Hardik led GT to a title triumph in the very first attempt. They were the most consistent team in the tournament, finishing on top of the points table with ten wins and four losses.

“When given responsibility, he’s a completely different cricketer” – Ravi Shastri

Shastri said that GT offering him the role of the captain was huge as the added responsibility made Hardik an even better cricketer. He shouldered the responsibility of anchoring at No.3 and also chipped in with overs when needed.

“He was picked by Gujarat Titans, where he was given the extra responsibility of captaining, which did him a world of good. When given responsibility, he’s a completely different cricketer as opposed to just batting and fielding,” he also noted.

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