The suspension was like getting dropped from the team for Hardik, says Kiran More

Former Indian cricketer and former National Selector Kiran More has recently spoke at length about Hardik Pandya. More, who tutored Pandya as a young kid, reflected on the recent infamous chat show gate that hit Pandya severely. Hardik Pandya had featured in Koffee with Karan, a chat show. Following his misogynist remarks on the show, he was suspended by the BCCI and recalled midway through the Australia tour.

After being suspended for over a week, he was named in the Indian team again for the ODI series against New Zealand. He made his comeback to the side and showed his mettle with a quick 22-ball 45 in the final ODI of the series. As per the recent quotes in IndiaToday, Kiran More revealed that Hardik was very disturbed when he was out of the team because of the suspension.

“He is a very talented cricketer, no doubt about it. He had no bad intentions at all. The chat show incident happened. That’s what shows the character of the cricketer. He is a cricketer who works very hard and gives his 100% whenever he plays for his teams. Happy he has made a huge comeback,” Kiran More quoted. “Definitely, he was very disturbed [during the Koffee With Karan row]. Good, he has made a huge impact straight away,” he added further.

‘Part of life’

Adding further, Kiran More exclaimed that these things are part and parcel of life. Every human is entitled to commit mistakes, and Hardik did one as well. The cricketer is already aware of this, and has seen the extent of the repercussions as well, following which, he has apologised too.

On a positive note, More remarked that the all-rounder now has his focus back on the game and is keen on doing well for the national side. More hailed the mental strength of both KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya for having staged a comeback on the cricketing field after the fiasco. While Hardik has been successful on his return, KL Rahul suffered a failure.

“He just went for an interview and talked something. And it went out of control. It’s part of life. You learn when you make a mistake. Now he will definitely know what he needs to do in the future. He has realised that. He has also apologised to the BCCI,” More mentioned.

“Now, he is clear about his cricket. His focus is on cricket and he showed how much he wants to play for India in New Zealand. The suspension for him was like getting dropped from the India team. For him, it was like he was trying to make a comeback. He and Rahul both of them have realised they made mistakes. He is mentally so strong and it has shown with the way he has made the comeback,” added the former cricketer.

Vital cog in the World Cup wheel

Commenting further on the same note, Kiran More reckons that Hardik’s comeback is a big plus not only for the player, but also for the team. He reckons that the Indian team will strike great balance if Hardik tours with the team in the Indian squad for the all-important World Cup 2019.

“It [Pandya’s comeback] is good for Team India as well. He gives a good balance and a key member of the team. At the World Cup, I am sure, he is going to be a very important player for India. An all-rounder like him is what we need. He can bat the way he has been batting in the death overs. He can bowl and he can take those catches. You don’t get players like this often,” More conceded.

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