'And Mahi bhai said..', the MS Dhoni advice that changed Hardik Pandya's career

A new Hardik Pandya was born in IPL 2022. The Indian all-rounder took his IPL side Gujarat Titans to their first-ever crow in only their maiden season. Hardik was quite an influential figure in that Gujarat dressing room. He continues to have good time in the field even if the colour of the jersey has changed. In national colours, Hardik is enjoying his time. He played a crucial role for his side in the massive 82-run win over South Africans in the 4th T20 at Rajkot. He is reaping dividends of his hard work in the training as well as gym with some match-winning knocks for his teams. 

After the Rajkot T20 win, Hardik was speaking to Player of the Match Dinesh Karthik, who smashed his first T20 fifty in the same game. In the chat, Hardik remembered an advice from MS Dhoni right at the start of his career. That advice is something that Hardik still carried with himself and applies in his cricket, whether in IPL or international cricket.  

In-flight insightful conversation _
Learning from the great @msdhoni _
Being an inspiration _

DO NOT MISS as @hardikpandya7 & @DineshKarthik chat after #TeamIndia's win in Rajkot. _ _ - By @28anand

Full interview ___ #INDvSA | @Paytmhttps://t.co/R6sPJK68Gy pic.twitter.com/wx1o9dOPNB

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 18, 2022

"In my early days, I asked Mahi bhai one question. I asked him how he gets away from pressure, and he gave me some very simple advice — 'stop thinking about your own score and start thinking about what your team requires'. From very early, that lesson has stuck to my mind and helped me become the kind of player I am now,” Hardik said in a video uploaded by BCCI.tv.

The 28-year-old will be captaining India soon in away T20s vs Ireland that starts on June 26. With his stars shining at the moment, Hardik would like to take the golden opportunity and impress selectors with his leadership skills to lead the race to become a future captain. Currently, in the same race, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are taking part. However, many experts feel that Hardik could be the best choice for the role because of the way he led GT in IPL 2022, not just through tactics but also with his conduct on the field.