India allrounder Hardik Pandya made a statement on his return from a 2-months injury layoff when he blazed a 28-ball 59 runs and chipped in with a wicket in his very first delivery in the 1st T20I match against South Africa in Cuttack on Tuesday. The 32-year-old, who had to sit out 2 months due a quadriceps injury in the Asia Cup, opened up about his motto while he is in the middle.
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“I think I have been a very honest, very real person in life as well, which has helped me a lot. I don’t really sugarcoat a lot of things in my life. It’s never about the other person, it’s never about how others think or how others perceive. It’s always about how I feel inside. Now, it’s time where Hardik Pandya wants to just play the sport, enjoy every second on the ground… and bigger and better will be the motto in my life.” Pandya says he derives a energy from the crowd, which helps him live up to the expectations,” he said in an interview with bcci.tv.
“You should be a rockstar. You come, perform for 10 minutes and the crowd goes berserk, I think that has been the biggest motivation for me. Life has thrown a lot of lemons at me, I’ve always thought I’ll make a lemonade. Every time I walk in, I feel like all the crowd is just waiting… they’ve come for this moment to watch me bat,” he added.
‘If you do not believe in yourself, how would others believe in you’
𝗕𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿. 𝗕𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿. 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 Ft. Hardik Pandya#TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @hardikpandya7 | @IDFCFIRSTBank https://t.co/IL8QRCFaeq
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 10, 2025
Pandya who was the main architect of India 101-run win against the Proteas in Cuttack also opened up about his injury layoff.
“My mindset was really about coming back stronger, bigger, better. Injuries test you mentally and at the same point in time, it kind of puts a lot of doubts… and a lot of credit to the loved ones. I’ve stood strong, I’ve done a lot of things with grace and that has helped me to become even more confident, back myself and really trust my skillset… I really believe in myself as a player. I’ve always believed that if you don’t believe in yourself, how would others believe you,” he added.