“Main 5 din me vaapis aa raha hu,” Hardik Pandya reveals he aggravated his injury while trying to return for World Cup 

Hardik Pandya was told he would take 25-days to recover but tried to recover faster, leading to him getting more injured.

“Main 5 din me vaapis aa raha hu,” Hardik Pandya reveals he aggravated his injury while trying to return for World Cup 

Hardik Pandya (Image via ESPNcricinfo)

When India faced Bangladesh in the 2023 ODI World Cup, they lost star all-rounder Hardik Pandya to injury. He went to stop a straight drive from Litton Das, but hurt his ankle. Despite many suggesting he could return by the end of the tournament, he was ruled out and was out till February 2024. 

Recently, Hardik Pandya spoke to Star Sports. He spoke about his injury, which he revealed he aggravated to return to play. The all-rounder said the recovery time was going to take 25-days, but he wanted to return as soon as possible. In the process, he put too much strain on himself, taking painkillers and running, but ended up making it worse and he was out for 3 months. 

YouTube video
This was a freak injury. Very few people know that my injury was extended because when I got injured, it was meant to be for 25 days only. But I pushed. I was like, 'I had come back'. When I left the team, I told them, 'main 5 din me vaapis aa raha hu' (I will come back in five days)'.
Hardik Pandya said on Star Sports

He said he had three different injections on his ankle and removed blood to ensure it didn’t swell. Pandya said he was trying his best to return and knew if he pushed too hard he could make the injury worse. He claimed if he even had a 1% chance to return, he would do everything to be back. 

Ashish Nehra opens up about Hardik Pandya’s trade to Mumbai Indians 

Ashish Nehra and Hardik Pandya were the first coach-captain duo of the Gujarat Titans. The duo took the franchise to consecutive finals, even winning on their first attempt. After Pandya left GT for his former franchise, Mumbai Indians, they replaced him with Shubman Gill for the captaincy role.  

Ashish Nehra and Hardik Pandya
Ashish Nehra and Hardik Pandya took GT to consecutive IPL finals (Image via ESPN)

Nehra finally opened up about Pandya leaving the franchise for Mumbai. He revealed that he didn’t try to stop the all-rounder from leaving and was fine with him returning to MI, where he spent a majority of his career. 

I never tried to convince Pandya to stay back. As you play more, you gain experience. I could have stopped him had he gone to any other franchise. He played here for two years but he has gone to a team, where he has played previously for 5-6 years.
Ashish Nehra to the press

MI and GT will be facing each other on 24 March in the Narendra Modi stadium. It will be Pandya’s first game as the Mumbai Indians captain, while Gill will captain a team for the first time. 

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