Through the hard way, Hardik Pandya is slowly learning to understand the responsibility that comes with the expectations that skipper Virat Kohli has from him in the shorter versions of the game.
The budding allrounder, still looking to cement his place as a vital cog in team, realises how a wrong choice of shot in the last ODI not only spelt his doom but also raised England’s prospects of ending the series with a win.
“I shouldn’t have played that shot (in Kolkata), but I felt the asking rate was climbing and someone had to take a chance. Kedar (Jadhav) was the one who would have stayed until the end and I was the one who should take the risks.
“In that process, I ended up getting out but I will hopefully rectify my mistake next time around and choose the right shot,” was the candid reflection of a man who has the confidence of the team management.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Tuesday, Pandya shared what he had learnt in the period following the 2016 World T20 and credited Rahul Dravid and Paras Mhambrey for the results.
“After the World Cup, I had a reality check. I knew I had areas to improve, the ‘A’ tour of Australia was pretty important for me. I learnt a lot of things about my game there.
“Rahul (Dravid) sir helped me a lot. He spoke to me about my game as well as working on the mental aspects. “Paras sir (Mhambrey) helped me with my bowling and worked on my fitness.
“It was a complete package, my fitness, my bowling as well as the mental aspects of the game,” said Pandya.
