Hardik Pandya hails Gujarat Titans coach: “Ashish Nehra made a big difference in my life”

Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has appreciated the massive role Gujarat Titans (GT) coach Ashish Nehra has played in his development as a leader. The cricketer said that working in tandem with a like-minded coach added value to his captaincy.

Pandya led the Men in Blue during the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at home. India clinched the series 2-1 by winning the final game in Rajkot by 91 runs. Batting first, the hosts had put up 228-5 courtesy of Suryakumar Yadav’s 112* off 51. The bowlers then combined to bundle out Sri Lanka for 137 in 16.4 overs.

While Pandya doesn’t have much captaincy experience, he famously led Gujarat Titans (GT) to the title in their maiden IPL season last year. At a press conference following the Sri Lanka T20Is, Pandya was asked how much the experience of leading GT helped him. He replied:

“I have never led in junior cricket as well. When I was U16, I led for Baroda. … What has been very important from the Gujarat point of view is the kind of coach I worked with. Ashish Nehra made a big difference in my life - we are very similar cricketing thought wise. Because I was with him, it added more value to my captaincy. It helped me to get exactly what I know. It was just getting assurance. It has definitely helped me.”

With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul not picked for the Sri Lanka T20Is, Pandya led a relatively inexperienced side in the series. On how challenging he found the task, the 29-year-old asserted:

“Managing (a young team) is not difficult. But, at the same point of time, it’s a young group. They will make mistakes and learn from it. We emphasise that once you make a mistake, you learn from that. Acceptance is very important in this sport. If you don’t accept it, things go very far.”

There were some impressive performances from the young guns in the third T20I in Rajkot. Shubman Gill chipped in with 46; left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh claimed 3-20, while Umran Malik registered figures of 2-31.

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“It’s about intent” - Hardik Pandya on India’s aggressive tactics

India looked to play aggressive cricket right through the T20I series, although the strategy backfired in the second game. Asked about the team's mindset in the series, Pandya explained that they always went in with the intent of being positive. He elaborated:

“It’s about intent. There might be a case where we do the same thing, but we might score 150. But you look for a boundary, and if a good ball is there, you respect the ball. If you go for a one, first only if you are thinking defensive, if a bad ball is there, you won’t be able to put it away.”

India and Sri Lanka will now meet in a three-match one-day series, beginning in Guwahati on Tuesday (January 10).