India all-rounder and captain of the Ahmedabad-based IPL franchise, Hardik Pandya recalled the contribution of former India captain MS Dhoni in his growth as a cricketer, especially during his formative years in the Indian Team.
Pandya had made his India debut in 2016 in Australia under MS Dhoni’s captaincy and became a vital cog for India in all three formats until 2018, when a debilitating back injury made him miss matches and kept him from bowling his full quota of over, leading to him taking a break from cricket to get his fitness back.
Speaking of Dhoni’s impact on his career, the 28-year-old said he has learnt a lot from the former Indian skipper. He also said Dhoni doesn’t interfere too much and wants young players to learn from their mistakes.
“I have learnt a lot from everyone and specially Mahi bhai because when I went there (Indian team), I was a raw material. The way he groomed me, the way he gave me a lot of freedom. He wanted me to learn from my own mistakes,” Pandya told veteran journalist Boria Majumdar on his show Backstage with Boria.
“When I came there, I was like ‘Mahendra Singh Dhoni will look after everything.’ At that time, I thought why he’s not saying a lot of things. I thought he’ll tell me to bowl here or bowl there. Later, I realized he wanted me to learn on my own so, I can survive more,” added the all-rounder.
Hardik Pandya had made his India T20I debut in 2016 against Australia in Adelaide, alongside Jasprit Bumrah. He gave away 19 runs in his first over but ended with 2/37 in his 3 overs as India won the match.
Talking about his debut and how Dhoni handled him, Pandya said: “I remember giving 22 or 24 runs (19) in my first over on (T20I) debut and I genuinely thought it’s my first and last game. So, when he asked me to bowl the second over, I thought he’s referring to someone else. Then I went and obviously, things changed. So, what I learnt from him is that he never showed you he’s there but he was always there.”
Hardik Pandya has been out of action for some time working on his fitness to get back into bowling shape.
