Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya has recently made a revelation that may shock many fans. Hardik Pandya, who ended as the side’s highest run-scorer in IPL 2022 (the first IPL season of Gujarat Titans), has revealed that he was close to joining Lucknow Super Giants ahead of its debut season because of his good relationship with KL Rahul (captain of LSG).
“I did get a call from the other franchise (Lucknow Super Giants) as well, which was a new franchise in IPL. Someone who I knew (KL Rahul) was leading the team. For me, it was very important, considering the stage at which I was, where I really wanted to play with a person who has known me,” Hardik told Gaurav Kapoor in Gujarat Titans’ podcast.
“I always found that people who know me have a different perspective than people who have never come across or come close to me. When I got the opportunity to work with someone I know, I was very keen to go to that side,” said Hardik further.
The all-rounder then mentioned how a call from Ashish Nehra changed his mind.
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“But then Ashu pa called me. At that time, the team also didn’t have the permission to be part of the IPL. It was very haywire, things weren’t even settled. He said, ‘I’m going to be the coach. It isn’t fixed yet, but I will be coach’. I was like, ‘Ashu pa, if you weren’t there, I wouldn’t have even considered this because you’re saying this… I’ve always felt you are one person who has understood what I am’,” Hardik said.
“I’m simple to work with, the one who knows me, know what I am. I think he (Nehra) comes in those categories who has found the right side of me. I was completely off the grid because I took a sabbatical, and I was away from the sport. I had decided not to be available for anything.
“I told him, ‘Ashu pa, it’s very important for me to know what you’re looking at’. We had a good chat. I was like, ‘okay let me think about it’. Moments after disconnecting the call, he dropped me a message saying ‘if you’re ready, I would like you to take the captaincy’. That was a surprise for me. I didn’t expect that. I’ve never been a person who has ever run behind anything. If someone comes, it comes. When I got to know, I was in a different zone,” Hardik mentioned.