“In that way, maybe I have to get my strike rate down or… Taking new opportunities or taking new roles is [something] I’ve always looked forward to. I don’t mind coming in and playing the role which somewhere down the line Maahi [Dhoni] used to play. I think at that time, I was young, and I was hitting all around the park, but now since he has gone, all of a sudden that responsibility… It has just naturally come to me, and I don’t mind [doing it]. We’re getting the result we want and it’s okay.”
“I had to bowl with the new ball [in T20Is] because Arshdeep [Singh]… I don’t want any new guy to come and have that difficult role of [bowling first up with the new ball] because if they’re put under pressure, then we’re chasing the game,” Hardik said. “So, I’ve always been [like] leading from the front and I’ve been working on my new-ball skills, which is helping me.”
“I don’t mind coming in and playing the role which Maahi [Dhoni] used to play. I think at that time, I was young, and I was hitting all around the park, but now since he has gone, all of a sudden that responsibility… It has just naturally come to me, and I don’t mind [doing it].”
Hardik Pandya
“I’ve always enjoyed bowling with the new ball,” Hardik had said in Ranchi. For quite a few years now, when I pick a ball in the nets, it’s always the new ball. I’m so accustomed to bowling with the old ball that I don’t feel the need to practice a lot with it. Whenever the team needs me to do the job, I can do my best. It has helped me personally. In the last game [the Indore ODI], when we had to rest our two main fast bowlers, I had to be ready. The pressure is not there when you prepare well.”
Hardik Pandya – ‘My focus is on white-ball cricket now’
“I will come [back] when I feel [it’s] the right time to play Test-match cricket,” Hardik said. “Right now, I’m going to focus on white-ball cricket, which is important, and if time is right and body is fine, I’ll give [the long format] a try.”
