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Indian leg-spinner Piyush Chawla has opined that Hardik Pandya had taken his game to another level in the last couple of years, making it difficult for the bowlers to restrict his strokeplay.
Piyush Chawla and Ashish Nehra put forth their thoughts on the increased responsibilities Hardik Pandya would have to take post fatherhood, apart from the improvements in the all-rounder's game in the last couple of years, while interacting on the Star Sports' show Cricket Connected.
On being asked if Hardik Pandya's sleepless nights would start now with the birth of his baby and if fatherhood would change his life, Ashish Nehra replied in the affirmative while citing the drastic change in his own life after becoming a parent.
"If you talk about Hardik Pandya, he got more responsible after marriage. After fatherhood, he will get one more responsibility. Because my experience was that the life does not change much after marriage, but once kids enter your life, the life changes a lot."
Ashish Nehra admitted that in his case, it was his wife who had to endure more sleepless nights as he had gone off to the West Indies to play in the T20 World Cup.
"Although in my case, when you talk about sleepless night, I used to sleep peacefully but my wife did not sleep. Because I had gone for the T20 World Cup in West Indies. So, I have seen them quite less. My wife only has made them grow."
The former left-arm pacer iterated that parenthood would enhance the sense of responsibility in Hardik Pandya.
"But once you have kids, you feel a different sort of responsibility and I don't think Hardik Pandya will be any different."
Piyush Chawla on Hardik Pandya's growth as a batsman
Piyush Chawla was asked how much Hardik Pandya has improved as a cricketer in terms of playing big shots with greater responsibility. The Chennai Super Kings' new recruit responded that the Mumbai Indians' all-rounder had improved his game by leaps and bounds in the last couple of years.
"If you talk about the changes, then the Hardik Pandya that was there 4 years ago and the way he is batting in the last 2 years, there is a huge difference."
Piyush Chawla explained that the bowlers need to be extremely well-prepared now, considering Hardik Pandya's prowess of hitting the big shots in case of a small deviation from the proper line and length.
"As a bowler you need to prepare very well because you know that the margin of error is very small now, compared to what it was 4 years ago. If the ball is slightly off-target, whether too full or short, then he doesn't spare you."
Hardik Pandya was in devastating form for the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2019. The Baroda all-rounder had smashed 402 runs at an impressive average of 44.66 and an extraordinary strike rate of 191.42 in the last season's tournament.
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