Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has revealed that all-rounder Hardik Pandya had a tough time coming to terms with the fact that the Mumbai Indians did not retain him at the Indian Premier League 2022 mega auctions. Hardik had a troubled season for Mumbai Indians in the 2021 tournament, and also in the T20 World Cup that year. However, he made an impressive comeback in the 2022 Indian Premier League season.
Hardik Pandya was appointed captain by the Gujarat Titans after Mumbai Indians let him go in the retention round. He led the debutants to the Indian Premier League 2022 title. His performance in the T20 league earned him an India comeback for the T20I series against South Africa.
Since then, he has put up a great performance for the Indian team. During the India-England ODI at Lord’s on Thursday, Ravi Shastri revealed that the all-rounder was shocked when the Mumbai Indians did not retain him. The former India head coach said,
“It shocked him when he was not retained by Mumbai Indians. It was tough… MI had Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharna, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya so they had to pick three out of those five. Ishan Kishan was obviously picked in the auction.”
When given responsibility, Hardik Pandya is a completely different cricketer: Ravi Shastri
Hardik contributed brilliantly with his all-round skills in the Indian Premier League 2022 season. He was the leading run-scorer for the Titans scoring 487 runs at an average of 44.27 and a strike rate of 131.26. His run tally included four half-centuries. He also picked eight wickets in the tournament, including 3/17 in the finals.
Ravi Shastri believes Hardik Pandya propers when responsibility is given to him. He expressed that Hardik turns into a completely different cricketer. Ravi Shastri said,
“He was picked by Gujarat Titans. He was given the extra responsibility of captaining, which did him a world of good. When given responsibility, he’s a completely different cricket as opposed to just batting and fielding.”
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