Hardik Pandya reveals how Rahul Dravid's inspiring words helped him to make a strong comeback from injury
India's star cricketer Hardik Pandya has revealed how head coach Rahul Dravid's advice has "stuck with him" through difficult times. After an all-around match-winning display against Bangladesh during the Super Eight Fixture of the T20 World Cup 2024, which took place on June 22 at Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in Antigua, Pandya went on to talk about how Dravid's words helped him to make a strong comeback from injury.
Team India thrashed Bangladesh by 50 runs, thanks to an outstanding all-around performance from Hardik Pandya and a three-wicket haul from Kuldeep Yadav. The win takes them one step closer to sealing a semifinal berth.
The Indian all-rounder has been enjoying great success following an injury suffered during the ODI World Cup 2023 clash against Bangladesh at MCA in Pune when he was trying to block the shot of opening batter Litton Das. In addition, the 30-year-old cricketer's controversial captaincy return to the Mumbai Indians from the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League led to him facing a lot of backlash and online mocking from a plethora of cricket fans and pundits. The all-rounder has replied with some excellent performances in this tournament, with eight wickets picked thus far and 89 runs amassed in three innings, including a match-winning fifty.
Rahul Dravid said 'Luck comes to people who work hard' and that has stuck with me for a long time: Hardik Pandya
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya reveals that he was fortunate to play the ongoing tournament after being sidelined for six months due to injuries. The star all-rounder revealed his inspiring conversation with head coach Rahul Dravid, which helped him score a magnificent half-century against the Bangla Tigers. In addition, the 30-year-old cricketer feels that the Men in Blue really played great cricket, which helped them defeat the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side during the crucial game. The stylish right-handed batter stated that they had planned to post 180 runs, but they successfully racked up 196 runs, which keeps them in the dominant spot. The middle-order batter further revealed his pragmatic and tactical skills in the game, which helped him execute his plans after they were reduced early in the game.
“I have been fortunate to play for the country, it was a freak injury I had, I wanted to come back but God had other plans. I was speaking to our coach Rahul sir (Dravid) and he said 'Luck comes to people who work hard' and that has stuck with me for a long time. We have played really good cricket. More than anything we have stuck together and executed our plans. Wicket looked alright, par would've been 180, we got 196. That's a good score here,” Hardik said after scoring a 27-ball-50 and taking a wicket in India's 50-run victory over Bangladesh.
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