Having made his debut in January 2016, Hardik Pandya has established himself as India’s leading all-rounder in the white-ball formats. However, he didn’t have the best start to his international career.
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Speaking to Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz in Conversation, Hardik recently recalled conceding a lot of runs in his maiden outing which left him worried about his future.
"I conceded 26 runs from my first 8 balls and frankly thought my career was over. When I was hit for a huge six, almost 105-110m, I thought I was done. I felt it couldn't get worse than this and thankfully I managed to snare a couple of wickets," he said.
While Pandya started his career under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, he flourished under Virat Kohli’s leadership with Ravi Shastri at the helm of affairs as head coach.
No wonder, the 26-year-old feels grateful to have the support of captain and coach.
"Virat and Ravi bhai (Shastri), they have given me that freedom, not just to me, but for everyone in the team. That's the beauty of this current Indian team, we have all made mistakes, but we are also learning at a very rapid pace. Those two have backed me a lot."
As for former India ‘A’ coach Rahul Dravid, Pandya said he is thankful to the ex-captain for never judging him.
"Rahul Dravid has always accepted me the way I am. He never made me feel that he's judging me, he has always enjoyed watching my work ethics and has told me about the same as well," he stated.
Hardik Pandya went through a dreadful time after his appearance in the popular TV show ‘Koffee with Karan’ last year.
Pandya featured on the show along with teammate KL Rahul and created controversy by making "misogynistic" and "sexist" comments. After receiving flak from various quarters, the duo was suspended pending an inquiry by BCCI and called back from the tour Down Under.
Reflecting on that unforgettable episode, Hardik said: “I have made mistakes in my life and the best part in me is I accept them. If I hadn't accepted my mistake, one more television show would have been on the cards.”
