Hardik had made his career debut under MS Dhoni but played most part of his career under Virat Kohli.
Despite becoming a flamboyant all-rounder he is now, Hardik Pandya did have the best start to his international career which he had made in the T20 format. He recalled conceding a lot of runs which left him worried about his future.
"I conceded 26 runs from my first 8 balls and frankly thought my career was over", he said, speaking to Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz in Conversation. "When I was hit for a huge six, almost 105-110m, I thought I was done. I felt it couldn't get worse than this and thankfully I managed to snare a couple of wickets," he added.
Hardik had made his career debut under MS Dhoni but played most part of his career under Virat Kohli.
Speaking of support, Indian skipper Kohli, coach Ravi Shastri and NCA Director Rahul Dravid are also among those, Pandya feels grateful to.
"Virat, Rohit (Sharma) or Ravi sir don't come and teach you the game. They have given me that freedom," he said.
"The security that they gave me backing with all their heart helped big time. That was the reason I started taking decisions on my own," he added.
As for Dravid, Pandya said he is thankful to the former captain for never judging him.
"...he accepted the way I am. He never judged me. Always respected me as a cricketer. He enjoyed my work ethic," Pandya said.
Hardik's career had hit a snag following an off-cricket discussion he had on a Television show which saw him suspended along with teammate KL Rahul.
"I have made mistakes in my life and the best part in me is I accept them. If I hadn't accepted my mistake, one more television show would have been on the cards", he chirped.
(with PTI inputs)
