As Mumbai Indians gear up for the IPL 2024 season, captain Hardik Pandya is looking forward to returning to action and turning out for the franchise he started his cricketing journey with.
Hardik said at the pre-season press conference in Mumbai on Monday. “First of all, it is very good to be back. I’m back where everything started. It is a very surreal feeling because everything that I have known from 2015 to now has been because of this team. My life completely changed when I made my debut in 2015. I’m very grateful to have reached here and playing again at a ground that is my favourite from day one.”
"It's very good to be back." 💙
Hardik Pandya shares his joy on reuniting with #MumbaiIndians, the team where his incredible journey started 🫶#OneFamily @hardikpandya7 pic.twitter.com/0SymPUikDY— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 18, 2024
Head coach Mark Boucher was satisfied with the preparations so far and was keen on seeing how the intra squad warm up games pan out. “We are in a good space at the moment. We have a big squad. We’ll be playing our first warm up game today. I’m looking forward to a couple of players putting their hands up for selection,” Boucher said.
Hardik called his return to MI a homecoming and said that he had never imagined he’ll be captaining Mumbai Indians at the beginning of his career. “It feels wonderful to be back. Never thought that 10 years down the line I’d be captaining Mumbai Indians. The feeling is amazing. Very excited for the season ahead and to play again with my old fellows. We have got a lot of success together,” Pandya added.
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Boucher felt the team was well rounded and the new additions are particularly exciting. “We have got new international players. They are very energetic, which is always good. We had a pretty good season. We are in a pretty good space at the moment,” Boucher said.
Hardik also gave peek into his captaincy mantra by saying his focus is on controlling the controllables. “You should focus on the process. I can’t win the IPL tomorrow. It can only happen a couple of months down the line. What we can focus on in those couple of months is how we prepare, how we take care of each other, how we make sure we know each other and out. The only thing we can promise is that we will play a brand of cricket that everyone will enjoy.”
🗣️ "Rohit will have his hand on my shoulder throughout the season." - Hardik Pandya 🥹💙#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/P0U9HvWWeI
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 18, 2024
Boucher alluded to Hardik bringing in fresh ideas as captain and said his role was to enable Hardik to get the best out of the team. “I’ll be trying to help him out as much as I can and get everyone going in the right direction. I’m going to support the captain as much as possible.”
Hardik concluded by saying he is now fully fit and will be playing as an all-rounder this season “I have no issues with my body. I plan to play all the games possible.” Mumbai Indians begin their IPL campaign on Sunday 24th March against Gujarat Titans.
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