Mumbai, March 18
A bit agitated over the captaincy change, Mumbai Indians fans would at least have one thing to look forward to watching the upcoming 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) -- a vintage Hardik Pandya essaying his role as an all-rounder.
Pandya, who is coming back from an injury that he suffered during India's match against Bangladesh during the 2023 Cricket World Cup in Pune in October, is fully fit and on Monday assured his fans that he would play all the 14 matches during the IPL and would be bowling as much as the teams needed him to.
"I got injured during the World Cup in October and initially, it was felt that it was just niggle and that I would recover in a few days. I went to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to get it checked and to ensure that I was doing the right thing with it.
"But within a couple of days, my ankle had swelled into a big angle and then we realised that it would take time. It later recurred and kept me out for nearly three months as there was no cricket in two of those months. I did not want to play in the World Cup only 50% fit," said Hardik Pandya during Mumbai India's pre-season press conference here on Monday.
Pandya said he is now fully fit and is looking forward to doing his bit for the franchise with which he started his IPL career in 2015.
"I will be bowling in the IPL. I have recovered fully from the injury and I am looking forward to contributing with both the bat and ball
Though he loves to bat and finish games, Pandya said he enjoys being the all-rounder most and therefore is looking forward to contributing to the team's cause with both the bat and ball during the upcoming IPL.
Pandya said his focus for the next couple of months will be only on Mumbai Indians and the IPL and he will not be thinking about the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup later this year. But said that if during the tournament, he comes across any performance worth remembering, he will take into account for the T20 World Cup.
He said he will not be skipping any matches to preserve himself for the T20 World Cup, which will be started five days after the end of the IPL.
"I have rarely missed any matches in IPL and so I will be playing all 14 matches this season," said Pandya.