Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans to the IPL title last year.
On the back of his IPL 2022 exploits, Hardik also made his comeback to the Indian white-ball team. Notably, he wasn’t getting considered for selection on fitness grounds after the T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE.
And now, Hardik is being seen as a future captain of Team India. He has already led the Men in Blue in T20Is and also serving the national team as vice-captain in the 50-over format.
“I did get a call from the other franchise (Lucknow Super Giants) as well, which was a new franchise in IPL. Someone who I knew (KL Rahul) was leading the team. For me, it was very important, considering the stage at which I was, where I really wanted to play with a person who has known me,” Hardik told Gaurav Kapoor in Gujarat Titans’ podcast.
He then revealed how a call from former India pacer Ashish Nehra, who ended up being the coach of the Ahmedabad-based franchise, changed his mind.
“But then Ashu pa called me. At that time, the team also didn’t have permission to be part of the IPL. It was very haywire; things weren’t even settled. He said, ‘I’m going to be the coach. It isn’t fixed yet, but I will be coach’. I was like, ‘Ashu pa, if you weren’t there, I wouldn’t have even considered this because you’re saying this… I’ve always felt you are one person who has understood what I am’,” Hardik stated.
“I’m simple to work with, the one who knows me, knows what I am. I think he (Nehra) comes in those categories who have found the right side of me. I was completely off the grid because I took a sabbatical, and was away from the sport. I had decided not to be available for anything.
“I told him, ‘Ashu pa, it’s very important for me to know what you’re looking at’. We had a good chat. I was like, ‘okay let me think about it’. Moments after disconnecting the call, he dropped me a message saying ‘if you’re ready, I would like you to take the captaincy’. That was a surprise for me. I didn’t expect that. I’ve never been a person who has ever run behind anything. If someone comes, it comes. When I got to know, I was in a different zone,” he further remarked.
Hardik Pandya is also making a mark as captain of Gujarat Titans in the ongoing IPL 2023 season. So far, he has led GT to three wins from four matches.