‘I am in that zone where…' - Hardik Pandya talks about his difficult times on and off the field

The last few months have been difficult for beleaguered Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya. The 30-year-old has just made his return to the field in the last two months after suffering an injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup match versus Bangladesh in Pune. 

Hardik Pandya was recently in conversation with Star Sports ahead of the T20 World Cup warm-up match against Bangladesh. The cricketer opened up about the difficult phase in his life that he has been going through. Mumbai Indians fans booed Hardik Pandya after the entire captaincy saga and his marriage too is on the rock as per the rumours. 

While speaking to Star Sports, Hardik Pandya said "I don't take my successes too seriously. Whatever I have done well, I have forgotten about them immediately and moved forward. Same with difficult times” 

Hardik Pandya looking to bounce back from failures 

30-year-old Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya has been in the eye of the storm after the way his team performed. He was called out for his decision-making and his lack of form with the bat and ball during the Indian Premier League tournament. 

During his chat with Star Sports, Pandya said “Eventually, I believe, you have to stay in the battle. Sometimes life puts you in situations where things are tough, but I believe that if you leave the game or the field, the battle that is, you won't get what you want from your sport or the results you are looking for. So, yeah, it has been difficult, but at the same time, I have been process-driven, I have tried to follow the same routines I used to follow earlier”

It seemed that Hardik Pandya was at his best with the bat during the warm-up game against Bangladesh on Saturday. Rohit Sharma will hope that his vice-captain can find his lost mojo and help India win the title with his batting and bowling talents. 

When asked by Star Sports how he copes with such situations, Pandya said “As they say, this too shall pass. So coming out [of these phases] is simple: just play the sport, accept that [you need to] maybe get better at your skillset, keep working hard - hard work never goes to waste - and keep smiling."

Finally, Hardik Pandya made a poignant remark when he said to Star Sports “Hardik Pandya right now at 30 is a much, much easier job compared to what Hardik Pandya was when I was 16. So I go back to the 16-year-old and I ask him how did you do it, why did you do it?

Team India will open their T20 World Cup campaign with their opening match on the 5th versus Ireland. The next game is the biggest clash of the campaign as they face Pakistan and will hope to put one over their arch rivals and make it to the Super 8 stages of the campaign.