T20 World Cup 2022: "I feel a sense of complete focus and positivity around me" - Hardik Pandya credits his family for his impactful comeback
Hardik Pandya has shed light on his time away from the Indian cricket team, with him focusing on his fitness in a bid to return as a fully functioning all-rounder.
The Baroda-born player was away from the scheme of things post the T20 World Cup 2021, before making a resounding comeback in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season.
Pandya primarily functioned as a pure batter over the last couple of years due to persistent injury issues. His inability to bowl on a consistent basis cost him a place in the Test squad and he subsequently found himself off the team in the aftermath of the T20 World Cup 2021.
Let’s get going 🇮🇳💪 https://t.co/qGDQtNoJca
The all-rounder returned as Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper and led the franchise to victory in their first-ever season. Since then, Pandya has not turned back, cementing his status as one of India's most important white-ball players.
Reflecting on his six-month absence from the Indian team where he solely focused on his fitness, Pandya told RISE Worldwide:
"It has to do a lot with helping myself to go back to the basics and approaching everything on a positive note. Because of that I have got peace in my life looking at the brighter side always."
He continued:
"I know I will have good days and bad days but the positivity comes from the hard work that I put in, which then gives me the self-belief and confidence to give it everything. And with the support of my family to always have my back, I feel a sense of complete focus and positivity around me,"
Pandya has gone onto claim his best-ever bowling figures in ODI and T20Is since his comeback. He has donned a much more responsible role in the batting unit at No. 5 with the national team, similar to the one he executed during his time with the Gujarat Titans (GT).
"The credit goes to Natasha, Agastya, Krunal" - Hardik Pandya on his incredible turnaround
An exceptional IPL 2022 campaign, which yielded 487 runs and eight wickets, paved the way for Pandya's return to Team India.
He was selected for the five-match T20I series against South Africa, and shortly after went on to lead the side in a two-match T20I series in Ireland as well.
One of my favourite parts of training, fielding. So important to our game and so underrated ✈️ https://t.co/AiE56uc3Aq
Reiterating his family's role in his comeback to the highest level, Pandya said:
"The credit goes to Natasha, Agastya, Krunal - everyone kind of allowed me to maintain my routine and made sure [to realize] that you know what, Hardik right now should focus on himself and he should keep himself as a priority."
He concluded:
"And because of that, I was able to understand a lot of things which I had kind of forgotten over the years while playing because there are certain things you don't write down, it just happens,"
He is expected to play a pivotal role for India at the T20 World Cup 2022. Rohit Sharma's side will begin their campaign with a high-voltage clash against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, October 23.
Is the all-rounder Team India's most valuable asset in the shortest format? Let us know what you think.