MI is ready to face their first match in their home ground at Wankhede against the mighty Kolkata Knight Riders. During a conversation at MI charcha, the head coach, Mahela Jayawardhane, took to the mic to praise the skipper Hardik Pandya on his growth as a leader over the past year.
Talking about Pandya’s maturity and growth, Jayawardhane also recalled the first time he met Hardik in 2017, when he was young with raw talent and immense energy. To see him grow from a ball of energy to the mature leader that he is today, the head coach admired his journey.
“The first time I met Hardik was in 2017. Young, raw talent with a lot of energy, and that is something I have admired in Hardik. Even today, with that energy to play the game, he is something special. He is quite passionate about the game of cricket and talks a lot about it. I have been with MI for eight years, and it is amazing to see his growth when it comes to leadership, maturity on the field and how he has evolved, probably one of the best all-rounders in white ball cricket.”
The head coach also talked about Hardik’s journey from being a test player to now, only focusing on white-ball cricket to avoid injury. He praised Pandya’s discipline and his hunger for fitness both during and after the cricket season.
Will MI win their first match of the season and break the paradox?
When asked about the paradox of not winning a single debut match for the season since 2012, Mahela replied by saying, “There is no way for us to prepare differently. I have spoken to the boys about the intensity being there for the first game. That’s all we can control. I have just asked the guys to play a good game of cricket at high intensity. Hopefully can break that voodoo," he said.
"I don’t think the history matters. It is tomorrow that matters. Players have come in for both teams. Having that record shows we are doing good things. But we need to do that, and better to beat a good team, and we know that KKR are a very good team. With that respect, we will play the best cricket we can. The history, I don’t go back on that. We have prepared and are ready for the first game.
