India vs South Africa 2022: Hardik Pandya recalls the sacrifice made on comeback trail

Hardik Pandya is getting back into the Team India groove with his trademark unruffled way of looking at things. In a video posted by the BCCI, Pandya, who led Gujarat Titans to the IPL title recently, recalled the hard work needed to earn a recall. “I was happy. It was more about the battles I won against my own self and a lot of other things as well. Winning the IPL, or even qualifying (for playoffs) was a big deal for me because a lot of people doubted us. A lot of people frowned at us before we started. A lot of people raised a lot of questions. A lot of things were said about me even before I made a comeback,” Pandya said.

Looking at the current series against Proteas as an ideal platform to prepare for the T20 World Cup in Australia in October later this year, Pandya added, “Every series or every game you play is as important as your last. So, for me, World Cup is the goal. This is the right platform to get into the rhythm and a lot of cricket is going to come back to back. As always, being in rhythm is very important. “My role will be changed here (in the Team India setup). I won’t be the captain, I won’t be batting higher up the order and guiding through the innings. This will be back to being the Hardik that I am known for,” he said in the video.

Read AlsoIPL 2022: Hardik Pandya 2.0 and the Gujarat Titans success story

It was in an Asia Cup game against Pakistan when he pulled a muscle in his back while bowling and had to be carried off the field. Hardik has moved in and out of the physiotherapy room since that day until almost re-creating himself for his debut as skipper of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022. Hardik the

Elaborating more on his struggles in the lead-up to the IPL, Pandya said, “It was never about giving