Hardik Pandya opens up on his mindset while playing for India

Overview

• Hardik Pandya returned to the Indian team for the first T20I against South Africa in Cuttack
• The World No.1 T20I All-rounder delivered a Player of the Match winning performance with his 59*(28) and 1/16(2)
• In the post-match talk, the star player revealed his mindset while playing for India at the highest level

Hardik Pandya returned to the Indian team for the first T20I against South Africa in Cuttack. The World No.1 T20I All-rounder delivered a Player of the Match winning performance with his 59*(28) and 1/16(2). In the post-match talk, the star player revealed his mindset while playing for India at the highest level.

Pandya claimed that he is not concerned a lot about his role in the team. The star All-rounder said that he is always motivated to play for the team and ensure he helps the team's cause. He claimed that his mindset has always been about to help the team, not about what he wants.

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"As a Cricketer, I have never been fussy about what roles I have in the game - I have always been motivated to all the time, make sure that it doesn't matter what Hardik wants - it is about what India wants, the mindset helps me," Pandya said in the post-match talk.

"The crowd are just waiting to watch me bat," - Hardik Pandya

Hardik was out of action from the last two matches of the Asia Cup 2025 and the series against Australia due to an injry. He worked hard, took part in some of the matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and returned with a bang to win the POTM award in the first T20I against South Africa.

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He further added that his focus was about returning stronger with a bigger motivation. He acknowledged the support of the fans and felt that the fans love to watch him bat. "My mindset is all about to coming back stronger, bigger & better. Everytime I walk in, I feel like all the crowd are just waiting to watch me bat," Hardik added.