Interview with Hardik Pandya: "I knew Mushfiqur Rahim didn't have the ability to clobber a six off me"

The first thing you notice about Hardik Pandya is his confidence. His on-field exuberance and enormous trust in his abilities are amply evident in the manner in which he speaks.

Pandya's exhilarating all-round performance in the IPL 2015 for Mumbai Indians was instrumental in his team winning the title. After that, his sparkling show in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (India’s domestic T20 tournament) earned him a place in the Indian T20 team.

Having done quite well on the Australian tour, in the Asia Cup T20 and in the World T20 2016, Pandya is touted as the seam-bowling allrounder India has been looking for since a long time.

He came clean on a gamut of subjects in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda. Here are the excerpts:

You earned recognition and adulation for your fine all-round performance in the IPL 2015. Did you expect to be picked up for the Indian side so early after that?

Performing well in the IPL gave me a lot of confidence and satisfaction. It made me believe that I’m here to stay. The fact that my team Mumbai Indians (MI) won the cup made it a memorable tournament for me. Everyone at MI made me feel comfortable.

Sachin paaji (Sachin Tendulkar) told me that I would soon play for India if I keep pitching in good performances. After the IPL 2015, I did well in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well. I knew that the selectors were keeping an eye on me but I wasn’t sure or certain that I would be picked for the Australian tour.

When I found my name in the T20 side, I was extremely delighted but not stupefied or surprised.

How do you rate India’s performance in the last three months?

I think we did remarkably well in last 3 months and played like a champion team. We routed a strong Australian side 3-0 in their backyard and won the Asia Cup. Our performance in the World T20 was also admirable.

We thrashed teams like Australia and Pakistan. Losing in the semi-final against West Indies was definitely disappointing. It was a humdinger and if we had a bit of luck, result could have been in our favour. But that’s how it goes in cricket.

Are you satisfied with your own performance?

I did well in critical situations whenever the team needed me to perform. I finished as the highest wicket-taker in Asia Cup for India and also came good in World T20. I’m happy with my overall performance but not satisfied. I think I have the ability to do better.

Let’s talk about your dramatic last over against Bangladesh in the World T20. What did MS Dhoni tell or advise you?

Dhoni told me to just enjoy the moment and bowl without any pressure. See, I knew that Mushfiqur Rahim doesn’t have the ability to clobber a six off me. He might hit me for a boundary, which he did, but tonking sixes is beyond him.

When he celebrated prematurely after hitting me for a couple of boundaries, I told him that the match is not over and he might muck it all up. They still needed 2 runs to win. Both Rahim and Mahmudullah went for glory shots and threw their wickets away.

That’s where the inexperience of Bangladeshi cricketers showed. Any sensible cricketer would have sealed the match but they (Bangladeshi cricketers) snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

What about the last ball? You bowled a back-of-a-length delivery, not a yorker…

Both Dhoni and I thought that it made more sense to bowl a back-of-a-length ball rather than a yorker. A tailender might edge a yorker and get a boundary but he is unlikely to hit a good length ball. So that was the rationale behind not bowling a yorker.

From the look of things, some people have claimed that you cannot bowl yorkers…

It is not necessary to bowl yorkers all the time to contain batsmen. It really depends on the situation of the match and the batsmen you are bowling to. However, I do concede that I need to improve a lot as a bowler. There are many things I wish to glean and induct in my arsenal. The yorker is definitely one of them.

You have often described yourself as a batting allrounder but Dhoni has used you primarily as a bowling allrounder so far…

I’m ready to don any role for my captain and the team. I cannot expect Dhoni to send me ahead of Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh on a regular basis. I have been sent up the order a few times whenever the situation demanded but Kohli, Yuvraj and Raina are far more experienced than I am and are truly great limited-overs batsmen.

I think at present, India need a seam-bowling allrounder and I fit the bill.

So is it fair to say that batting is your stronger suit?

I have improved my bowling quite a bit of late so I guess now my batting and bowling are on an even keel.

Do you see yourself excelling in Test cricket too?

Yes, I think so. My first-class record is quite decent and I really wish to play and perform in all formats. I’m waiting for my chance to represent India in Test matches.

Who are the allrounders you grew up admiring?

I think Irfan Pathan has been a terrific allrounder for India in the last 10 years especially in limited-overs cricket. But Jacques Kallis is one allrounder I absolutely admire and idolise.

I want to be the Jacques Kallis of India. He is a legend and the best allrounder the world has ever seen.