Indian cricket star all-rounder Hardik Pandya recently shared insights into the injury he suffered during the 2023 ODI World Cup held in India.
During a league stage match against Bangladesh in Pune on October 19, Hardik Pandya hurt his ankle while bowling. Physios attended to him on the field, but the injury was severe enough for him to walk off. This setback sidelined him for the remainder of India’s 2023 World Cup campaign. Even though India continued to perform well and reached the final, Pandya’s absence affected the team’s balance somewhat.
After his injury, Pandya underwent multiple injections and procedures, including the removal of blood from his swollen ankle. It was a tough time for the 30-year-old all-rounder, but he has since fully recovered and is ready to return to action in the upcoming 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League. He will be leading the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024. Ahead of the tournament, Pandya shared the challenges he faced during his injury ordeal, which kept him out of action for several months.
In an interview with Star Sports, Hardik Pandya expressed his strong resolve to bounce back from his injury, stressing his dedication to getting back on the field as soon as he can.
Hardik said: “I am such a kind of cricketer who doesn’t start 2-3 months before, I start my journey 1 year back for this World Cup, I already planned my routine 1 and half years before and worked accordingly. This was a freak injury very few people know about it my injury got extended and I had to take more time because when I got injured then it was 25 days rehab injury. I was missing the World Cup but I pushed because I had to come back and when I came out I informed team that I will be back in 5 days.”
He added: “I got injections done on my ankles at three different places and I had to remove blood from my ankle because it swollen was that much,”
Additionally, Hardik Pandya shared the extent to which he pushed himself, striving to be fit for the national team, especially given their unbeaten run leading up to the World Cup final. Despite his efforts, his injury resurfaced, forcing him to sit out for another three months.
“In a way, I didn’t want to give up and for the team I will give my best. At one point in time, I was aware that if I kept pushing myself I might get injured for a long time. For me that was never the answer I was like if there was one percent chance I could be with the team I would try my best and while I was pushing myself, I had this re-occurrence and my injury became a three-month injury because as I was pushing I was not able to walk but I was trying to run that point of time,” he further said.
During his break from international cricket, Hardik Pandya made a move to the Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season. He stepped into the role of captain by replacing Rohit Sharma for the Mumbai Indians.
