Pandya has been a completely different player since his comeback from injury.
Former Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra talked about the reasons behind Hardik Pandya becoming calm and focused.
Hardik was the main reason behind India’s win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2022. He displayed sensational all-round skills to put his team on top in both innings.
He first provided his team with crucial breakthroughs with the ball as he troubled Pakistani batters with short balls and returned with the figures of 3/25. Then with the bat, he came to India’s recuse when it seemed that they would lose.
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Pandya came to bat when India found itself tumbling at 89/4. The right-hander stood calm and scored 33 runs in 17 balls for his side in a situation, where almost every other Indian batter fell to pressure.
With 7 runs needed off the last over, Hardik finished the match for his side with a six as he smashed Mohammad Nawaz’s delivery out of the ground to take his team past the finishing line. Hardik was also awarded Player of the Match for his heroics and his performance made many applaud him.
In an interaction with ICC, Ashish Nehra said that Hardik has matured as a player with experience. He credited his wife and son for becoming more focused on the game.
"Yes, even I've observed it. And it is necessary. With time and experience, you learn things both as a human being and as a player. Pandya is no different. You might have seen him talking about it.”
“He has said that he has learned different things from different experiences. Now he is married, a father of a kid, and matured. With Agastya's arrival, he has become more calm and is more focused on his work," Ashish Nehra said.
Nehra talked about the time he spent with Hardik as a player and said that the all-rounder has been hard-working. He added that the right-hander is young and still has a lot of time to flourish as a cricketer.
"I've played with him in 2016 before I retired. I've played with him for 1-2 years in T20s just before my retirement and when his career was just beginning. He has always been hard-working and skillful.
“He is only 28, he has a lot of time. Now that he has things under his control, he will keep showing us this kind of form, this calmness," he said.
Nehra also lashed out at the people criticising Hardik for his personal life and said that the way players prepare and work on the field is more important.
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“Most importantly, people talk. When one does well, people praise. But some time back, when he was injured and not doing well, people were criticizing his lifestyle. I personally feel no one should talk about what players do off the field. How you prepare yourself and how hard you work on the field, that is more important," he said.
After T20 World Cup 2021, many thought that Hardik’s career was over but he proved them wrong and worked hard during his time off the cricket. The all-rounder then made a comeback through IPL 2022, where he led Gujarat Titans and took them to title victory.
His IPL performance earned him his spot back in the Indian team. Since then he has delivered in every match for his side and has looked most settled Indian player in the middle with both bat and ball.
(ICC inputs)