Former coach Abhishek Nayar announced that Hardik Pandya has prioritized fitness over skill in his build-up to India’s Asia Cup match against Pakistan in 2025. He also revealed that the all-rounder spends more time practicing bowling in the nets than batting.
On Wednesday, September 10, India defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by nine wickets in their Group A opener of the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai. They will face Pakistan in their second group match on Sunday, September 14, at the same venue.
In an interview on Sony Sports, Nayar discussed Hardik’s pregame net preparation.
“He is actually slightly different. He doesn’t believe too much in skill. He practices a lot, but he practices bowling more than batting. However, he pays a lot of attention to his fitness, health, and body. He has a routine, where he does yoga, concentrates on his nutrition, and trains for two to two-and-a-half hours every day.”
Abhishek Nayar
Hardik was commended by the former India all-rounder for his mental tenacity and thorough pre-tournament training.
“He is extremely diligent there. He always remains right mentally, but he tries to remain physically right. After that, he does whatever pre-tournament preparation he deems right. However, otherwise, he is mentally extremely strong.”
Abhishek Nayar
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim revealed that Hardik Pandya will play a new role in the Asia Cup 2025 as the second seamer. He described Hardik as a big-match performer and praised the seam-bowling all-rounder for excelling when called upon, particularly against Pakistan.
“He doesn’t get rattled” – Ajay Jadeja on Hardik Pandya’s strength ahead of IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 clash
Ajay Jadeja, the former captain of India, was questioned about Hardik Pandya’s self-confidence and swagger, which frightens the opposition a little, during the same conversation.
“That’s his strength. He has the skills – batting, bowling, and fielding. He is an athlete as well, but he has been seen batting at the end in many important matches against Pakistan. He doesn’t get rattled, although you might have seen his partners getting rattled at times.”
Ajay Jadeja
The former Indian all-rounder identified confidence as Hardik’s key strength, emphasizing that the Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper maintained his faith despite the team’s poor IPL 2024 performance.
“His strength has been his confidence. When things don’t go well, it seems like he is overconfident. There is a very fine line between confidence and overconfidence. If you see the second-last MI season, his belief remained the same, but nothing happened the entire year.”
Ajay Jadeja
Ajay Jadeja highlighted the positive aspect of Hardik Pandya’s confidence: it comes naturally. He added that Pandya does not show off and has carried this demeanor since he was a young child.
