As Rohit Sharma rightly said, Hardik Pandya’s contribution to the Mumbai Indians (MI) will be never be ignored. Bought at an absolute bargain price by the Mumbai Indians franchise at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, Pandya turned himself into a superstar after a series of sensational performances for the Rohit-led Mumbai franchise in the cash-rich league. The Indian all-rounder also played a crucial role in grooming youngster Ishan Kishan at the Mumbai Indians camp.
Talking about his special bond with the Pandya brothers, Indian opener Kishan spoke at length about Hardik’s role in transforming the exciting young talent into a household name. Both Pandya and Kishan raised their stocks by propelling Mumbai Indians to IPL glory. Hardik, a five-time IPL winner with Rohit’s Mumbai Indians, ended his fruitful association with the Mukesh Ambani-owned franchise ahead of IPL 2022.
Pandya was appointed the leader of the Gujarat Titans (GT) franchise after the all-rounder parted ways with the Mumbai Paltan ahead of the mega auction. Speaking to popular cricket presenter Gaurav Kapur on his famous show Breakfast with Champions, Indian opener Kishan revealed how all-rounder Pandya used to look after him during his stay at the Mumbai Indians camp for the IPL season.
“I was with Hardik bhai and others all the time during the IPL and I see their work ethic as to how he is taking care of himself. They would sit me down and explain things to me for 30 minutes – what’s important, what is not and what I am doing wrong. Hardik bhai’s reputation… I mean all the seniors in the team would sit together. But I was the young one who was still finding his way,” Kishan said.
“Hardik bhai was always like ‘You leave him to me’. And he actually told me also that until you improve, we can’t give you a match’. I also felt then that what they’re saying is for my own benefit,” Kishan added. While Mumbai Indians managed to re-sign Kishan for a record fee at the mega auction, the five-time champions failed to acquire the services of superstar Hardik and his brother Krunal Pandya for IPL 2022. Released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the mega auction, Pandya made his captaincy debut in the cash-rich league. The Indian all-rounder has guided Gujarat Titans to two impressive wins in their debut IPL season so far.
