Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya feels that having a positive outlook has helped him return to the field “stronger, bigger, and better” following injury setbacks. He also thinks that by believing in his skill sets, he has grown more self-assured.
In the opening Twenty20 International on Tuesday in Cuttack, India defeated South Africa by a staggering 101 runs thanks to Pandya’s return from an almost two-month absence due to a left quadriceps injury.
After sustaining an injury during the Asia Cup, the 32-year-old all-rounder announced his comeback to the team by blazing to an undefeated 28-ball 59 with the bat and 1/16 with the ball.
“My mindset was really about coming back stronger, bigger, better. Injuries test you mentally and at the same point in time, it kind of puts a lot of doubts… and a lot of credit to the loved ones,” said Pandya in a video posted on bcci.tv.
“I’ve stood strong, I’ve done a lot of things with grace and that has helped me to become even more confident, back myself and really trust my skillset… I really believe in myself as a player. I’ve always believed that if you don’t believe in yourself, how would others believe you,” Pandya, who will be a key member in India’s T20 World Cup campaign in two-months’ time,” added.
The cricketer claimed that he doesn’t care too much about what other people think of him and that he gets his confidence from within.
“I think I have been a very honest, very real person in life as well, which has helped me a lot. I don’t really sugarcoat a lot of things in my life. It’s never about the other person, it’s never about how others think or how others perceive. It’s always about how I feel inside.”
“Now, it’s time where Hardik Pandya wants to just play the sport, enjoy every second on the ground… and bigger and better will be the motto in my life.”
Pandya claims that the crowd gives him energy that enables him to live up to the expectations.
“You should be a rockstar. You come, perform for 10 minutes and the crowd goes berserk, I think that has been the biggest motivation for me.”
When Pandya took over as captain of the Mumbai Indians from the Gujarat Titans in 2024, a hostile Mumbai crowd was transformed into devoted supporters by his title-winning performance in the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.
“Life has thrown a lot of lemons at me, I’ve always though I’ll make a lemonade,” he said. Every time I walk in, I feel like all the crowd is just waiting… they’ve come for this moment to watch me bat.
