Becoming captain was always inevitable: Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya, who will be leading the Ahmedabad-based franchise in the forthcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), claimed that he always knew that there was a leader within him, and asserted that there was an air of inevitability about him officially becoming the captain of an IPL franchise. 

Pandya spent 7 seasons with Mumbai Indians, but the forthcoming edition will see him captaining the Ahmedabad franchise, which snapped up the all-rounder’s services after he was released by the Rohit Sharma-led side.

Speaking to Economic Times, the 28-year-old asserted that he felt that the time was right for him to accept the captaincy offer.

“When I played for Mumbai Indians, I learned a lot of things. When I played for India I played under great captains like Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni), the way he led us, the freedom he gave us. When the offer was made I asked my family, my friends, my brother, who has always been an important part of all the decisions that I have made and we all came to the conclusion that we all have a leader within us,” Pandya told Economic Times.

“The kind of situations and the roles that I have played for Mumbai Indians and the Indian team, the leader was always there in me, it was a matter of time till I had the C (for captain) beside my name. When this offer came, I thought I should go for it.”

Pandya made his international debut under MS Dhoni, and the all-rounder revealed that he learnt a lot from the former Indian skipper. The 28-year-old revealed that Dhoni always had his back but, at the same time, wanted him to learn things all on his own. 

“I have learnt a lot from all the captains that I have played under, especially Mahi bhai. The way he groomed me, the way he gave me a lot of freedom, he wanted me to make mistakes and learn. In First Class cricket you always have a senior guiding you. Most cricketers come to the Indian team with that culture. 

“When I came to the Indian team I thought Mahendra Singh Dhoni is there, everything will be looked after. I thought Mahi bhai will tell me where to bowl and all, but he never told me a lot. Later on I realised, it’s because he wanted me to learn on my own which will help me in having a prolonged career and prepare me for all situations. Mahi bhai wanted me to learn on my own but I always knew he was behind me, backing me up, making sure I got groomed.”

The newly-appointed Ahmedabad skipper asserted that, come IPL 2022, he will lead by example and will ensure that, as a leader, he makes every effort to make sure that every member in the set-up feels included.

“I believe in leading by example, I will set the standard, I will set the attitude that the team wants to play with. My philosophy is to make sure all the players feel at home, everyone has a positive mindset and everyone feels included. I believe once all the players feel comfortable, they know what their potential is and how to give their best.”

Come IPL 2022, Pandya will be representing a franchise other than Mumbai Indians for the first time in his IPL career. At Mumbai the all-rounder burst into the scene and later became a superstar, and he thanked the franchise and attested that he would be ‘forever grateful’ to Mumbai for trusting him and providing him with the opportunity to shine.

“It has been like a dream. I never thought I would be standing in this position after seven years. Seven years went by very quickly. The success, the highs, the lows. I am grateful for the faith Mumbai Indians had shown in me by picking me up in 2015. 

“A couple of franchisees had asked (former India player and MI team manager) Rahul Sanghvi, ‘who is this player?’. The world did not even know Hardik existed back then, but they showed faith in me and I will be forever grateful to them for that. Mumbai Indians will always be in my heart. All these years have been full of hard work and I have got a lot of success in return as well.”

Pandya has not played international cricket since the 2021 T20 World Cup, but the 28-year-old revealed that his primary goal is to ensure that he is in peak condition by the time the 2022 T20 World Cup beckons.

“Yes, that’s the plan. My main aim is to be at my peak when the World Cup happens. All my training, planning, preparation is keeping the World Cup in mind. I want to win the World Cup for the country. It will make me really happy and proud. It is like an obsession with me. IPL will give me a very good preparatory platform for the World Cup but all the hard work ultimately is for the Indian team and the World Cup,” he said of his comeback.