All-rounder Hardik Pandya will have to play a key role if India are to defend their Asia Cup title this time around in the United Arab Emirates.

Known for his seam-bowling skills and ability to execute big shots in the lower middle-order, Pandya is certainly the rarest commodity in Indian cricket. He seamlessly switched to lead the pace attack alongside Jasprit Bumrah in the powerplay during India’s Asia Cup 2025 opener against the UAE last Wednesday (September 10).

Ahead of India’s second group-stage match in the continental tournament against arch-rivals Pakistan, former cricketer Abhishek Nayar explained how Hardik Pandya doesn’t pay too much attention on his potential, and rather focuses on fine-tuning his fitness and related aspects.

“He is actually slightly different. He doesn’t believe too much in skill. He practices a lot, but he practices bowling more than batting. However, he pays a lot of attention to his fitness, health, and body. He has a routine, where he does yoga, concentrates on his nutrition, and trains for two to two-and-a-half hours every day,” Nayar said in a chat on Sony Sports.

“He is extremely diligent there. He always remains right mentally, but he tries to remain physically right. After that, he does whatever pre-tournament preparation he deems right. However, otherwise, he is mentally extremely strong,” the former India assistant coach added.

Former India batter Ajay Jadeja also acknowledged Hardik’s prowess and unwavering presence in testing conditions.

“That’s his strength. He has the skills – batting, bowling, and fielding. He is an athlete as well, but he has been seen batting at the end in many important matches against Pakistan. He doesn’t get rattled, although you might have seen his partners getting rattled at times,” Jadeja stated.

“His strength has been his confidence. When things don’t go well, it seems like he is overconfident. There is a very fine line between confidence and overconfidence. If you see the second-last MI season, his belief remained the same, but nothing happened the entire year,” Jadeja remarked.

Hardik Pandya has represented India in 115 T20Is so far, scoring 1812 runs with five half-centuries and claiming 94 wickets at an economy rate of 8.21, including three four-wicket hauls.