Hardik Pandya’s captaincy debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year was a stepping stone in his limping career. He returned from an injury that had troubled him for more than three years. Leadership was completely unexplored territory for Pandya, something he had never done in the domestic circuit as well. However, his confidence was such that he led the Gujarat Titans to a title victory that too on a debut season. Ending up as the highest scorer of the team added to his credibility and ultimately, he stormed into the Indian dressing room. And now, he is being seen as a future captain of Team India.
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It’s safe to say that Gujarat Titans was the reason why the fans got to know the second version of Pandya, which was much improved than the previous one. However, initially, it wasn’t the team he was supposed to be a part of. The all-rounder revealed that he was close to joining the other debutants in the tournament – Lucknow Super Giants – in the previous edition.
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“I did get a call from the other franchise (Lucknow Super Giants) as well, which was a new franchise in IPL. Someone who I knew (KL Rahul) was leading the team. For me, it was very important, considering the stage at which I was, where I really wanted to play with a person who has known me," Hardik told Gaurav Kapoor in Gujarat Titans’ podcast.
The GT skipper further explained how a call from former India pacer Ashish Nehra, who ended up being the coach of the side, changed his mind.
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“But then Ashu pa called me. At that time, the team also didn’t have permission to be part of the IPL. It was very haywire; things weren’t even settled. He said, ‘I’m going to be the coach. It isn’t fixed yet, but I will be coach’. I was like, ‘Ashu pa, if you weren’t there, I wouldn’t have even considered this because you’re saying this… I’ve always felt you are one person who has understood what I am’," Hardik said.
“I’m simple to work with, the one who knows me, knows what I am. I think he (Nehra) comes in those categories who have found the right side of me. I was completely off the grid because I took a sabbatical, and was away from the sport. I had decided not to be available for anything.
“I told him, ‘Ashu pa, it’s very important for me to know what you’re looking at’. We had a good chat. I was like, ‘okay let me think about it’. Moments after disconnecting the call, he dropped me a message saying ‘if you’re ready, I would like you to take the captaincy’. That was a surprise for me. I didn’t expect that. I’ve never been a person who has ever run behind anything. If someone comes, it comes. When I got to know, I was in a different zone," Hardik mentioned.
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