Hardik Pandya Interview: 'Irfan Pathan is my cricketing idol'

Hardik Pandya Interview: ‘Irfan Pathan is my cricketing idol’: With an exceptional ability of striking the ball, an exciting display of fielding efforts and few useful contributions with the ball, Hardik Himanshu Pandya caught everyone’s eye during the 2015 IPL season while playing for Mumbai Indians.

Hardik Pandya received very limited chances in domestic circuit in 2013 and 2014 but his performances in Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, earlier this year made the Mumbai Indians to pick him in their XI and he turned out to be an emerging star with his performances during the season.

Pandya played a couple of match-turning innings with the bat, made some exceptional fielding stunts and troubled the IPL legend with his pace and bounce. His all-rounder performances during the tournament were recognized by BCCI as they roped him into the 12-man squad which will be representing India A for the warm-up match against South Africa.

On the eve of the game, Hardik Pandya shared his views regarding the game, about his future plans and many other things in an exclusive interview to CricTracker.

Excerpts from the interview:

First of all congratulations on making into the India A squad for the Twenty20 warm-up game. How did you feel on getting a maiden call from BCCI?

Hardik Pandya – Thank you so much. Was quite excited about on seeing my name. I did not expect that call.

You were a part of Mumbai Indians in the IPL, how was your interaction with Ricky Ponting and how much do you think the stint with MI change you as a player?

Hardik Pandya – It was a great feeling to be part of Mumbai Indians. And talking about Ricky Ponting, he is a great player. He always used to back me and kept my confidence levels up. Surely, the stint with MI will gain me a lot of experiences.

Rohit Sharma was the captain of Mumbai Indians. Did his presence help your game?

Hardik Pandya – Rohit Bhai (Rohit Sharma), was also a plus point for me during the season. I didn’t have any cricketing conversations with him but by watching him itself, I learned a lot from him.

How did the presence of Sachin Tendulkar help you?

Hardik Pandya – Sachin Sir was friendly with me. He always speaks about Cricket. He says how we should be moving on the field with either bat or the ball. He was supportive throughout the tournament.

As a young cricketer which cricketer inspired you the most?

Hardik Pandya – My cricketing idol is Irfan Pathan. He bowls, bats and does everything. He is also a proper all-rounder like me. I have been following him since my childhood. Just like him, I am also an all-rounder and have been learning a lot of things from him while playing for Baroda.

And a couple of words about Yusuf Pathan? You have been working a lot in the gym with him in recent times.

Hardik Pandya – Yes. Yusuf Bhai (Yusuf Pathan) is a supporting guy. I am quite close to both Irfan and Yusuf Bhai. They both help my game a lot and talk about how to handle different challenges.

There were many moments for you to cherish during the recent IPL season. Personally, which was your favorite moment? And why?

Hardik Pandya – Ravi Bopara’s shot which I stopped the ball at boundary towards the end of the game against SRH. I was not playing that game but fielded as substitute. Later when I went into the dugout, Sachin pajji (Sachin Tendulkar) said that, “We won but we won because of that stop only. You changed the game.” That was a quite amazing moment for me during the season.

Tell us a little about your cricketing journey, how did you start, who helped you the most?

Hardik Pandya – Cricket for me started when I watched my brother Krunal Pandya playing. We always travel together for playing tournaments which we have been playing till now. Will be missing him during the upcoming Ranji season as he got injured recently.

Coming back to the opportunity you have for playing in the India A- South Africa warm up, how are you going to treat the game?

Hardik Pandya – It is just another game for me. That’s how we must be treating. I don’t want to get nervous by over thinking about the opportunity I got.

You will be facing South African side, the most consistent International team who can adapt to the conditions very easily. How are you getting ready to face them?

Hardik Pandya – Facing a strong side will be an exciting experience for me. I don’t think these things will put me into pressure as I faced them in IPL as well. Cricket will be the same. They have some brilliant players and some brilliant skills which will help us to learn a lot of things from them. Obviously, they will also play to win so I can learn from them.

How are you preparing yourself for the upcoming Ranji season?

Hardik Pandya – I am quite excited this season. I am preparing myself for it. It is going to be a very important season for me and my career.

We have seen you succeeding in the Twenty20 format. But which format you will pick out personally. And which role you are suited better? Batting or bowling?

Hardik Pandya – I love all formats. I want to do well in each format. Definitely I like batting as I started my career as No.3 batsman. I played all my junior cricket as a batsman and I started to take up bowling accidentally after I had an injury and hence I became an all-rounder. Otherwise, I would have been a batsman. So definitely I will be considering batting as my primary role.

Where do you see yourself in a couple of years down the line?

Hardik Pandya – Definitely I would like to see myself in Indian team very soon. It will be a challenge to make there, but I can put all my efforts. I am taking this as a biggest challenge and I hope I can make to that level.