“My workload is twice or thrice as much as anybody else…”: Hardik Pandya on his role as all-rounder in India team
Sep 09, 2023
Colombo [Sri Lanka], September 9 : Ahead of the Super Four stage match of the Asia Cup between India and Pakistan on Sunday, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has said he seeks to succeed by reading the game and backing himself.
In a conversation on Star Sport’s ‘Follow the Blues LIVE’, Pandya spoke on his role as an all-rounder in the side.
"As an all-rounder, my workload is twice or thrice as anyone else. When a batter in the team goes and bats and finishes his batting and is heading home, I’ll still be bowling after that. So for me, all the managing, all the pushing, and everything happens during the sessions or my training or my pre-camp season,” he said.
“When the game arrives, it is more about whatever the team requires, and the managing side goes out of the park and it is more practical calls that how many overs are needed for me. Because if 10 overs are not needed, there is no point in me bowling 10 overs, but if 10 overs are needed, then I’ll be bowling," he added.
Pandya is India’s vice captain for the cricket World Cup. He said believing that you are the best in the world does not guarantee success but it does guide to work towards success.
"I always believed that I give myself a chance to succeed, which is by reading the game, which is by backing myself because I have always believed that when we go as a believer, when I'm standing there, yes, my ten players, my ten brothers are around me, but at the same point of time I’m alone. When bowling, I have to back myself to the fullest because the opposition, the batter, they want me to make a mistake,” he said.
“At the same point of time, as a batter, yes, two people are batting, he is there with me fighting, but there are also eleven on the ground against me, and at the same point of time, it could be the crowd or anything. So what I have realized is that no matter what happens, you have to back yourself, you have to believe that you are the best in the world. That does not guarantee you success, but at the same point of time, it does give you and it does guide you to work towards success, so practically back yourself," Pandya added.
India will play their first Super Four stage match of the Asia Cup 2023 with Pakistan in Colombo on Sunday.
