Hardik Pandya’s comeback story has been the talk of the town for some time now. The India allrounder had suffered a back injury during a match against Pakistan at the 2018 Asia Cup and it kept him away from competitive cricket for a lengthy period.
Questions were being raised whether Pandya will be able to get back to his old self but he proved the naysayers wrong by not only making a full recovery but also producing match-winning efforts with both the bat and the ball. The latest of his exploits came during the thrilling Asia Cup 2022 match against Pakistan as he took three wickets and then struck an unbeaten 33 off 17 to fire India to a memorable five-wicket win in Dubai.
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Ever since his exploits, Pandya has been receiving praises from all around. His tweet ‘The comeback is greater than the setback’ comparing his time at the Asia Cup in 2018 when he was stretchered off the field to that of him celebrating India’s win after hitting a six went viral.
Former Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir was among those who praised the 28-year-old for his all-round performance.
‘Well played brother,’ wrote Amir quoting Pandya’s tweet.
Well played brother 👏 https://t.co/j9QPWe72fR
— Mohammad Amir (@iamamirofficial) August 29, 2022
During a chat with his India teammate Ravindra Jadeja, Pandya recalled his struggles and praised the team physios for working on his fitness.
“I can remember those scenes where I was taken on a stretcher and it was the same dressing room. So there is a sense of achievement with whatever has happened. As players, we get the fruit but I would like to credit Nitin Patel and Soham Desai (team physios) who have worked so hard on me for my comeback,” Pandya said in a video shared by the BCCI.
India will take on Hong Kong on Wednesday in their second and final group match in Dubai. A win will seal them a spot in the Super Four stage.
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