Star Indian all-rounder and Cuttack T20I player of the match Hardik Pandya expressed that injuries have posed a mental challenge for him and he thanked his loved ones who have helped him get through the tough times. Pandya especially mentioned his partner for all the wonderful things happening in his life.
Hardik Pandya returned to international cricket after a two-month absence after suffering an injury during the Asia Cup 2025. Due to an injured quadriceps, Pandya was also ruled out of India’s tour of Australia and the ODI leg of the South Africa series.
Pandya made a comeback for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and showed all-round dominance. He scored a brilliant 77 runs and also bowled a match-winning spell in the second innings. The all-rounder was then immediately selected for the South Africa T20Is, where his performances bode well for India.
Hardik Pandya reveals the biggest inspiration of his life
Pandya not only returned to the field but also rang his arrival bell in the shortest format of the game. Pandya dominated the Proteas with the bat and scored an inning of 59 runs in 28 balls. He then took his only wicket of the game by dismissing David Miller.
Hardik Pandya claimed on his comeback, “You have to be a rockstar, you come and perform for 10 minutes, and the crowd goes crazy. I think that’s been the biggest inspiration for me.”
The Cuttack crowd welcomed Pandya with a thunderous applause and after the innings he played, they did not shy away from celebrating the return of the Indian all-rounder with enthusiasm and warmth.
‘If you don’t believe in yourself then how will others believe in you’
ππΆπ΄π΄π²πΏ. ππΌπΉπ±π²πΏ. ππ²πππ²πΏ Ft. hardik pandya#TeamIndia , #INDvSA , @hardikpandya7 , @IDFCFIRSTBANK https://t.co/IL8QRCFaeq
β BCCI (@BCCI) 10 December 2025
“If you don’t believe in yourself, how will others believe in you?” – Hardik Pandya is making a comeback in the game
Hardik has indeed been challenged many times in his life; There have been challenges in his personal life as well as in his professional life as a cricketer. Pandya has faced criticism as well for missing important occasions for India.
“Life has always thrown a lot of lemons at me; I have always thought about making lemonade. I have always believed that if you don’t believe in yourself, how will others believe in you?” A glimpse of confidence was clearly visible in Pandya.
He said, “My mindset was always about coming back stronger, bigger and better. Every time I go in, I feel like the crowd is just waiting; they have come for this moment to watch me bat. For that, I have stood strong and done a lot of things with grace, and that has helped me become even more confident and bring myself back.”
“I really trust my skills and believe in myself as a player. You know, injuries test you mentally and at the same time, they create a lot of doubts. A lot of credit for that goes to the loved ones I had.”
Pandya also thanked his girlfriend Maheeka Sharma for her unwavering support, saying, “Special mention to my partner too, she has been the best to me since she came into my life, and a lot of great things have happened since she came into my life.”
βBigger, bolder and better will be my motto from now onβ β Hardik
Pandya also reflected that his character traits as a person have often helped him emerge as a better cricketer. He said that now he just wants to enjoy his game and give the best performance of his career.
“I think I’ve been a very honest and very real person in my life. I don’t think I often hide a lot of things in my life. It’s never about what others think about you; it’s always about how I feel.”
Hardik Pandya concluded, “Now this is a time where Hardik Pandya just wants to play the game and enjoy every moment on the field, and bigger and better will be the motto of my life.”
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