"He doesn't believe too much in skill" - Abhishek Nayar on Hardik Pandya ahead of IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 clash

Ahead of India's Asia Cup 2025 clash against Pakistan, former coach Abhishek Nayar has disclosed that Hardik Pandya pays more attention to fitness than skill as part of his pre-game preparation. He also revealed that the all-rounder practices his bowling more than his batting in the nets.

India registered a thumping nine-wicket win in their Asia Cup 2025 Group A opener against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai on Wednesday, September 10. They will face Pakistan in their second group game at the same venue on Sunday, September 14.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Nayar was asked how Hardik prepares ahead of a game in the nets.

"He is actually slightly different. He doesn't believe too much in skill. He practices a lot, but he practices bowling more than batting. However, he pays a lot of attention to his fitness, health, and body. He has a routine, where he does yoga, concentrates on his nutrition, and trains for two to two-and-a-half hours every day," he responded.

The former India all-rounder praised Hardik for his mental toughness and diligent pre-tournament preparation.

"He is extremely diligent there. He always remains right mentally, but he tries to remain physically right. After that, he does whatever pre-tournament preparation he deems right. However, otherwise, he is mentally extremely strong," Nayar observed.

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim noted that Hardik Pandya has been given a new role in the Asia Cup 2025, highlighting that he is playing as the second seamer. While terming Hardik a big-match player, he pointed out that the seam-bowling all-rounder has performed splendidly whenever required, especially against Pakistan.

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"He doesn't get rattled" - Ajay Jadeja on Hardik Pandya's strength ahead of IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 clash

Hardik Pandya (left) and Virat Kohli stitched together a match-defining partnership against Pakistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, former India captain Ajay Jadeja was asked about Hardik Pandya backing himself and coming to the ground with confidence and swagger that scares the opposition slightly.

"That's his strength. He has the skills - batting, bowling, and fielding. He is an athlete as well, but he has been seen batting at the end in many important matches against Pakistan. He doesn't get rattled, although you might have seen his partners getting rattled at times," he replied.

The former India all-rounder picked confidence as Hardik's strength, highlighting that the Mumbai Indians (MI) captain retained his belief even during the franchise's horror run in IPL 2024.

"His strength has been his confidence. When things don't go well, it seems like he is overconfident. There is a very fine line between confidence and overconfidence. If you see the second-last MI season, his belief remained the same, but nothing happened the entire year," Jadeja observed.

To conclude, Ajay Jadeja noted that the good thing about Hardik Pandya's confidence is that it's natural. He added that the 31-year-old has been like that since childhood and that it's not a show off.