Hardik Pandya doesn’t mind playing MS Dhoni role for Team India in white-ball formats

The
all-rounder
spoke
about
the
new
roles,
Test
future
and
more
at
a
press
conference
after
the
team’s
mammoth

168-run
victory
against
New
Zealand
in
Ahmedabad
at
the
Narendra
Modi
Stadium
on
Wednesday
(February
1).

Pandya,
who
was
known
for
aggressive
batting
style,
said
he
doesn’t
mind
playing
the

MS
Dhoni
role
for
the
team
as
he
looks
to
evolve
in
the
game.

“In
that
way,
maybe
I
have
to
get
my
strike
rate
down.
Taking
new
opportunities
or
taking
new
roles
is
something
I’ve
always
looked
forward
to.
I
don’t
mind
coming
in
and
playing
the
role
which
somewhere
down
the
line
Maahi
[MS
Dhoni]
used
to
play,”
Pandya
said.

“I
think
at
that
time,
I
was
young,
and
I
was
hitting
all
around
the
park,
but
now
since
he
has
gone,
all
of
a
sudden
that
responsibility.
It
has
naturally
come
to
me,
and
I
don’t
mind
[doing
it].
We’re
getting
the
result
we
want
and
it’s
okay.”

The
Gujarat
Titans
skipper
expressed
that
he
relishes
hitting
sixes
but
wants
to
provide
the
team
with
a
sense
of
calm
and
assurance
as
playing
attacking
shots
involves
an
element
of
risk.

“See,
to
be
honest,
I’ve
always
enjoyed
hitting
sixes,
but
I
have
to
evolve
and
that
is
life.
I
have
to
take
the
other
part
where
I’ve
always
believed
in
partnerships.
I
want
to
give
my
team
and
the
other
person
more
calmness
and
the
assurance
that
at
least
I’m
there,”
Pandya
added.

The
29-year-old
further
stated
that
being
a
senior
in
the
team
he
has
been
in
pressure
situations
numerous
times
and
has
developed
the
ability
to
keep
cool
in
crunch
situations.

“I’ve
played
more
games
than
any
of
those
guys
out
there.
So,
I’ve
known
the
experience
and
more
than
the
experience
part,
it’s
where
I’ve
batted,
and
I’ve
learnt
how
to
accept
pressure
and
I’ve
learnt
how
to
swallow
kind
of
the
pressure
and
make
sure
the
team
and
everything
are
calm,”
said
Pandya.

Hardik
Pandya
Test
return

Hardik
hasn’t
played
red-ball
cricket
at
the
senior
level
since
undergoing
a
back
surgery
in
2019.
His
last
Test
was
against
England
in
Southampton
in
2018.

With
an
ODI
World
Cup
in
India
scheduled
for
October-November
this
year
and
a
T20
World
Cup
in
the
Caribbean
scheduled
for
2024,
India’s
stand-in
T20I
captain
Pandya
has
prioritised
white-ball
cricket
over
Test
cricket.

Talking
about
his
return
to
Test
cricket,
he
said,
“I
will
come
[back]
when
I
feel
its
the
right
time
to
play
Test-match
cricket.
Right
now,
I’m
going
to
focus
on
white-ball
cricket,
which
is
important,
and
if
time
is
right
and
body
is
fine,
I’ll
give
[the
long
format]
a
try.”