It's All About Looking Forward And Winning The World T20 in 2020: Hardik Pandya

Getting knocked out in the WC 2019 semi-finals did bother Pandya, but for the all-rounder, it is all about looking forward and getting the next one - World T20 in 2020

India's star all-rounder is set to return to India team in the series against the Proteas, starting September 15th. Pandya had been rested for the Windies tour after the World Cup after he reported some back issues. In an interview, the flamboyant all-rounder spoke of the challenges ahead, working on his fitness, managing his workload as an all-rounder, being the X-factor in this Indian team and his love for tattoos. Pandya revealed that he took time to work on his game and fitness. "It was important for me (the break) as the IPL was long and then the World Cup followed and I had a good run in both the tournaments. So, I was looking to give it my best and that required my body to take some rest as precaution is better than cure and that is when the call was taken by the team management that I come back fully fit for the South Africa series. "Neither the team management nor I wish that I get injured. The rest has helped me a lot and my fitness has gone to the next level. I started doing pilates and that has helped me a lot. This isn't something very usual between cricketers. So, that is why I wanted to see how it works and it has worked really well. This last one month, I trained twice a day. It was important that I try something new to improve my back. It was important for me and my game to take this break," he explained. Asked about the sudden trip to Baroda, Pandya said: "It was raining in Mumbai so I decided in two hours flat that I will go back home and prepare for the series against South Africa." While a fresh series starts with South Africa, getting knocked out in the WC 2019 semi-finals did bother Pandya, but for the all-rounder, it is all about looking forward and getting the next one - World T20 in 2020. "It was difficult and we all felt the same pain, but life moves on. I would have been more upset if we as a team hadn't done justice to our performance. I think as a team we played as champions and except for those 30 minutes, I thought we played outstandingly and everyone was contributing and looking to excel. It is just how it is at the knockout stage. We have kind of moved on and we want to focus on the next World Cup (WT20) and win that," he said. Asked if he has any specific goals going into the series against South Africa, Pandya said he believes in magic. "To be honest, I don't keep goals because I let something out of the box happen. I just focus on preparing well and focus on the areas I wish to work on. I think that magical things do happen. So, I let my game speak and go with the situation. You never know when my team is down and I might stand up and do something special. I focus on that. South Africa is a good team and a good series will give us momentum in T20s," he smiled.