After hogging the limelight by playing crucial cameos in the 8th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), Mumbai Indians’ all-rounder Hardik Pandya is once again back in the news after getting his maiden call up in India’s T20I squad for the forthcoming tour of Australia.
Pandya has always given credit to his IPL mentors – Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting — for his success.
And now the 22-year-old seems quite confident that the former Australian skipper will surely going to give him some useful tips, when the Baroda cricketer will be Down Under for three T20Is.
“I am regularly in touch with Ricky (Ponting) and now that I am going to Australia, I will call him up and ask him how I should prepare for those conditions and pitches. A few people are not sure if he will help me out in this regard, but I know he won’t say no to me. I know he will be there to help me in whichever way he can,” Pandya told BCCI.tv.
The talented youngster also feels that he is the perfect answer for India’s No. 7 woes.
“I am definitely eyeing the all-rounder’s position in the team. With my decent pace and batting abilities, I can be the perfect No. 7 that India are looking for. That is the reason why I insisted on becoming an all-rounder, rather than a batsman who can bowl a bit,” he added.
If he manages to justify his selection in Australia, the all-rounder could emerge as a contender for the ICC World Twenty20, which is scheduled to kick-off from March 15, 2016.
