Former India head coach Ravi Shastri on Sunday (September 4) lauded Hardik Pandya’s mental strength to emerge as one of the leading all-rounders in the game despite suffering a career-threatening back injury during the Asia Cup 2018.
Pandya’s injury was so nasty that he had to be stretchered off the field. While the all-rounder returned to the game after a few months, he struggled to bowl consistently for India and his former IPL franchise Mumbai Indians.
To overcome the persisting problem, Hardik Pandya underwent a surgery in 2019 but he was still cautious about his bowling for both the national team and his IPL franchise. In fact, Hardik didn’t bowl a single over in the 2020 and 2021 editions of IPL.
During the T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE, Pandya bowled in just two matches and failed to take a wicket. Subsequently, he took a lengthy break from competitive cricket to work on his bowling fitness.
After going through extensive rehabilitation and training, Hardik eventually made a memorable return to cricket in the IPL 2022, leading Gujarat Titans to the title in their maiden season. Thanks to his all-rounder exploits in the cash-rich league, Pandya made a comeback to the national team and he has been exceptional with both bat and ball in the last few months.
"There was pin-drop silence in the dressing room when that happened becaus we knew it was something serious and we had to wait to watch what would happen. And I moved across from the dressing room to the medical room, which was just adjacent to the Pakistan dressing room and he was lying flat. He could barely move, it was just his head moving from side to side. He was in real, real pain," Shastri told Star Sports.
"From there, to come back, it shows a lot of character, a lot of determination, and will to want to play at the top level. There is no shortcut to success, he has put in the hard yards and he is getting the distance," he added.
Last week, Hardik Pandya played a key role with both bat and ball in India’s thrilling five-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup.
After India opted to bowl first, Hardik returned with the bowling figures of 3 for 25 in his four overs, helping his team bundle out Pakistan for just 147 in 19.5 overs. He then shined with the bat, scoring 33* off 17 balls to take his team over the line with two deliveries to spare.
Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram also praised Pandya's mental strength, terming him as a crucial player in white-ball cricket.
"First of all, it takes a lot of mental strength to come back from an injury like that. It appears he is mentally very, very strong. His pace is back. He is such a crucial player to India in T20Is and ODIs, I hope he plays Test match as well. In the middle overs, his pace gives you what he did to Pakistan," Akram said.
"With the bat, he is fearless, he doesn't think 'if I get out, what will happen?'. That's why he is a dangerous, dangerous player, not just against Pakistan but against any side in the world."
