Ever since returning to action from an injury layoff, Hardik Pandya has been phenomenal in white-ball cricket. The all-rounder led Gujarat Titans to Indian Premier League glory in their debut season, and has been equally instrumental in the international circuit.
Pandya was excellent in India's two wins over Pakistan in 2021. One came during the Asia Cup, and the second was in the T20 World Cup, where he stood firm in the middle and together with Virat Kohli drove India to a thrilling victory.
Pandya will now be seen leading the Men In Blue in the upcoming T20Is against Sri Lanka, which gets underway from Wednesday in Mumbai. His record as India captain has also been good, having led the team to a 1-0 win over New Zealand in the T20I series, which was held shortly after the World T20 in Australia.
Despite an illustrious CV when Pandya was asked about what more he looks forward to achieving, the all-rounder had a brilliant response. Addressing the media ahead of the first T20I, Pandya said: "One year back things were quite different. When I went out of the sport, which was my call to spend time and get better at it, and it has been a magical year for me. Obviously would have liked the World Cup also but that is part and parcel.
{{/usCountry}}Despite an illustrious CV when Pandya was asked about what more he looks forward to achieving, the all-rounder had a brilliant response. Addressing the media ahead of the first T20I, Pandya said: "One year back things were quite different. When I went out of the sport, which was my call to spend time and get better at it, and it has been a magical year for me. Obviously would have liked the World Cup also but that is part and parcel.
{{/usCountry}}“We tried but it did not happen but going forward ‘what I want to achieve?’ Sir there is lot to achieve, I've not achieved anything. Looking forward to the World Cup coming. There will be multiple World Cups in multiple years and the goal will be to win them.”
While Pandya remains a key figure in limited-over setup, it has been over four years since he last made a Test appearance. In fact, the all-rounder has just played 11 Tests so far and his fans would definitely hope to see him back in whites.
Responding to a question on the same line, Pandya said: “'When will I be seen in whites?' Let me be fully be in Blue first and then I'll say about the whites."
When asked about any New Year's resolutions he made, Pandya straightaway pointed at the upcoming World Cup, calling it his “biggest” goal for 2023.
“The biggest to win the World Cup and I don't think any bigger resolutions can be there. Really want to win the World Cup and we will try everything possible in our capacity to go out there, give everything and I think things are looking right,” said India's stand-in skipper.