Hardik Pandya reveals what he learnt from MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli

Soon to be father, Hardik Pandya was involved in an interview with the voice of cricket Harsha Bhogle recently. During the conversation, the duo touched upon everything ranging from Hardik’s rise in competitive cricket, his personal life and his future goals. While talking about his teammates, he mentioned about the qualities that he learnt during his stint with the Indian team from Indian captain Virat Kohli and former captain MS Dhoni.

Hardik’s rise in international cricket

India’s long wait for a Kallis like all-rounder ended when Hardik burst onto the scenes way back in 2015. The then Mumbai Indians coach John Wright scouted him after he saw Hardik taking on the bowlers including Zaheer Khan in a domestic T20 tournament. He was picked for the base price by Mumbai in that auction and later with the consistent performances he earned his India cap in all three formats.

Qualities that Hardik Pandya learnt from Dhoni and Kohli

Two stalwarts of the Indian cricket team and modern-day legends MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli are an inspiration to many budding cricketers around the world and Hardik Pandya is no different. In his conversation with Harsha Bhogle, he mentioned that he learnt the art of being calm under pressure situations from MS Dhoni. This celebrated attribute of Dhoni has even given him the nickname ‘Captain Cool’. While Dhoni is cool, his successor Kohli is fiery. His passion for the game and hunger for runs are the qualities that Hardik found admirable.

“I never had one specific role model. I always wanted to learn from the best, different things from different people, and I wanted to combine that in my game- Mahi bhai’s calmness, Virat’s hunger. From 2015, when I made it to the IPL, I always wanted to learn from people. That’s when I realised that Polly is someone who relates to my game,” Hardik Pandya told Cricbuzz.

Hardik Pandya talks about his future

When Harsha asked him on which format would he like to focus on post the return to cricket after the lockdown, he mentioned that his body is still not fit enough to give his 100 per cent in a full tour that consists of Test matches, ODI’s and T20I’s. He clarified that his contribution is needed for the team more in white-ball cricket than in red-ball cricket and hence he prefers to focus on his white ball game.

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