Hardik Pandya has revealed that his valiant effort in a losing cause in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 against Pakistan in June did not have a big impact on the mental aspect of his game.
The 23-year-old Baroda all-rounder though attributes his meteoric rise in international cricket to the hard work he put in after a horrid run in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016.
India had lost half the side, including skipper Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, in chase of a mammoth 339, for just 54 runs at The Oval, much to the disappointment of fans back in the country.
However, Pandya gave hopes to both the dressing room and the dejected fans when he took apart the Pakistan bowling attack with a 46-ball 76, which included six sixes and four boundaries.
Pandya was striking at 176.64 when disaster struck. The right-hander was involved in a mix-up with Ravindra Jadeja before heading back to the pavilion run out. India eventually lost the match by a huge margin of 180 runs and conceded the title to their arch rivals.
"If you want to think that way, you can, I have no problems. I played well in the IPL before that. Last year's IPL wasn't great for me, so I worked hard, and the form came back," Pandya told reporters after his match-winning performance in the third of the ongoing five-match ODI series against Australia on Sunday, September 24.
He added: "So whatever you say, if you say Pakistan changed my game, then so be it I have no problem."
Early slump in career
Pandya suffered an early setback in his career when he was dropped from a second-string India squad that toured Zimbabwe in 2016.
The Baroda all-rounder, who made his international debut in the three-match T20I series in Australia last year, was a regular fixture of the Indian T20I side. He even played a crucial role in India's run to the World T20 2016 semi-final.
However, a horrid run in last year's IPL - 44 runs from 11 games at 6.28 and three wickets - ruined his chances of making his ODI debut in Zimbabwe.
Pandya makes full use of unexpected opportunity
Pandya though made a comeback during India A tour of Australia last year. The all-rounder was not part of the initial squad, but an injury to Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar meant he was on board with coach Rahul Dravid and men to Australia.
In the second unofficial Test against Australia A in Brisbane, Pandya came up with a rescue act when he hit a patient 79 from 116 balls to help India from avoiding the embarrassment of folding up under 100. The knock proved crucial as it helped the side draw the match.
Six-machine Pandya
Meanwhile, Pandya has been on fire in the ongoing five-match series against Australia. The big-hitting all-rounder, who has played two-match winning knocks already (Chennai and Indore) has been smashing sixes at will, just like the way he did in his debut Test series against Sri Lanka last month.
Indians hitting 3 consecutive sixes in a ODI (since 2000)
— Rajneesh Gupta (@rgcricket) September 17, 2017
Zaheer Khan (v Zim 2000)
H Pandya (v Pak 2017)-Twice!
H Pandya (TODAY)#INDvAUS
When asked about the secret behind his six-hitting abilities, Pandya had this to say: "I used to hit sixes before too, it's just that I am hitting them at a higher level now. I have been hitting sixes since childhood otherwise."
