Ricky Ponting looked after me like a child – Hardik Pandya

India’s all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s life changed for good when he joined Mumbai Indians in 2015. It was a career breaking opportunity for the Baroda all-rounder to play with and against one of the best in the business. Most importantly, it gave a chance to Pandya to play under the umbrella of former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.

Ponting has all the experience under his belt and he is known to get the best out of the players. Pandya revealed that Ponting looked after him like a child and he has been a father figure for him. The all-rounder added that he was able to learn quickly under the tutelage of Ricky Ponting.

Ponting gave the right confidence to Pandya and talked to him regarding the different match situations. Pandya revealed that he tried his best to pick Ponting’s brain and it really helped him in the early phase of his career.

Hardik Pandya said while talking to Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz, “Ricky Ponting was someone who looked after me the best. He looked after me like a child. I used to feel like he was my father figure there. Ricky taught me so many things, he taught me situations, he taught me mindset, how strong you should be. As a new boy in 2015, I used to sit next to the hoardings. Ricky used to sit down with me and speak about the game. (With all these conversations) I started learning quickly.”

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya was roped in by Mumbai Indians for his base price of INR 10 lakhs. Pandya had impressed with a whirlwind knock of 82 runs in a domestic T20 match and thus he caught the eyes of the Mumbai Indians scout John Wright.

Hardik Pandya had a mixed IPL debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2015. The right-hander provided the finishing touches as he scored a little cameo of six-ball 16. However, he was taken away for 37 runs in his three overs.

The all-rounder, who has had his share of controversies, has played 66 IPL matches in which he has scored 1068 runs at a blistering strike rate of 154.78. Pandya has also scalped 42 wickets for the four-time champions.

Thus, he has played a key role in the success of the franchise since making his debut. Pandya will like to continue his good form going for the Mumbai Indians and he owes a lot to the club for changing his life upside down.