Despite his performances being confined to India’s white-ball squads, Hardik Pandya continues to influence India’s team composition and balance in a way that none of his teammates can. With India resorting to a combination that boasts three of their front-line spinners in the tacky conditions in Dubai during the Asia Cup 2025, Pandya seamlessly switched to the lead Powerplay bowling role alongside pace ace Jasprit Bumrah.
Pandya’s raw talent and ability to double up as a reliable finisher with the bat continue to make him the rarest commodity in Indian cricket. However, former India all-rounder Abhishek Nayar details how Pandya does not emphasise too much on his abilities, but rather works on polishing his fitness and related aspects.
“He is actually slightly different. He doesn’t believe too much in skill. He practices a lot, but he practices bowling more than batting. However, he pays a lot of attention to his fitness, health, and body. He has a routine, where he does yoga, concentrates on his nutrition, and trains for two to two-and-a-half hours every day,” Nayar explained in a chat on Sony Sports.
“He is extremely diligent there. He always remains right mentally, but he tries to remain physically right. After that, he does whatever pre-tournament preparation he deems right. However, otherwise, he is mentally extremely strong,” the former India assistant coach observed.
Former India all-rounder Ajay Jadeja also hailed Hardik’s prowess and unflinching presence in testing conditions.
“That’s his strength. He has the skills – batting, bowling, and fielding. He is an athlete as well, but he has been seen batting at the end in many important matches against Pakistan. He doesn’t get rattled, although you might have seen his partners getting rattled at times,” said Jadeja.
“His strength has been his confidence. When things don’t go well, it seems like he is overconfident. There is a very fine line between confidence and overconfidence. If you see the second-last MI season, his belief remained the same, but nothing happened the entire year,” Jadeja observed.
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Closing in on 2000 T20I runs for India, Hardik has also emerged as one of India’s most successful pacers in the format, collecting 94 scalps at 26.54 with a 19.3 strike rate.
