"One for all and all for one" - Hardik Pandya on his leadership approach with Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad captain Hardik Pandya has said that he wants to foster a culture in the franchise where all players would get an opportunity to express themselves.
The 28-year-old will lead an IPL outfit for the first time in his career after being picked as the first player of the new team. Ahmedabad also recruited Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill ahead of the mega auction.
Pandya, who was released by the Mumbai Indians, expressed his pleasure at the opportunity to represent his own state in the competition. Looking forward to handling more responsibility, the all-rounder told ANI:
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Ahmedabad have confirmed their three draft picks ahead of the IPL mega auction.
Hardik Pandya will lead the team and the other two picks are Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill.
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"To be very honest, I was very excited when I got to know I will be playing for my state. It is my home state where I was born and brought up."
"It is going to be an exciting and new opportunity for me because I have always played as a player who wanted to take up a lot of responsibility and ownership of things when I do things, and now when I have got the opportunity, I want to create some nice culture where all the players get equal opportunity-- one for all and all for one."
He also reflected on his cricketing journey, and outlined the importance of IPL in moulding him to the player he is today. The all-rounder was roped in by Mumbai Indians at the 2015 IPL auction for his base price.
Pandya soon became a regular for the franchise, and was also rewarded with a spot in the Indian national team. India's search for an all-rounder seemed to end with Pandya, who displayed his prowess with both bat and ball. He added in this regard:
"The feeling is surreal, to be honest. I have never imagined, as I have said multiple times. If I look at 2015 what Hardik was and what Hardik has been now, it has been a journey where I never would have told people that this would have ever happened."
The newly appointed Ahmedabad captain continued:
"As a player, it has been a learning curve in everything in my life. Playing and learning new things from all the senior players and becoming a senior player to a guy to whom people come and started asking questions and now getting a new role."
"It has been a beautiful journey, and I am very grateful for everything I have got, and the journey does not stop now; it continues. It is a new phase and new turn to the life which I am very excited about,"
Hardik Pandya was roped in by the Ahmedabad-based franchise for a sum of Rs 15 crore.
"A lot of things in my life changed playing for Mumbai" - Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya represented the Mumbai Indians for seven seasons, winning the title four times under Rohit Sharma.
With the franchise opting to retain Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard and Suryakumar Yadav, Pandya found himself back in the player pool. Speaking about the prospect of facing his old teammates, he said:
"First, I will say not just him, but just as a franchise's point of view and players' point of view, it was a tremendous journey for me. I mean a lot of things but everything I have got through Mumbai Indians. I have played India through Mumbai Indians."
"A lot of things in my life changed (while) playing for Mumbai. Franchise wise, I have been very grateful to every guy who was there to contribute or to help me to get better as a cricketer, and yes, I will miss it, but now a new role is there, and as they say, the show must go on."
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Apart from appointing the all-rounder as captain, Ahmedabad locked in on their coaching staff as well. Ashish Nehra, Gary Kirsten and Vikram Solanki have all been roped in for backstage roles.