Hardik Pandya has regained fitness and is ready to lead Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The all-rounder was away from cricket since October 2023, when he was injured during the ODI World Cup match against Bangladesh in Pune.
In an interaction with Star Sports, Pandya revealed that he thought that he would be fine in 25 days, but it took months for him to return to cricketing action. Pandya was trying to stop a drive from Litton Das’ bat, injuring his ankle. He was ruled out of the World Cup.
Pandya said the initial assessment suggested he would be away for 25 days. In a bid to get fit before the World Cup ended, he pushed his body hard.
“The preparations for the World Cup started a year ago. I suffered a freak injury in the tournament. Very few people knew my injury was extended because I was injured again. I was meant to be out for 25 days. But I pushed hard, trying to recover before the World Cup ended. When I left the team, I told my teammates I would be back in 5 days,” he said.
“I was given injections on my ankle at three different places. The blood was removed from my ankle as the swelling became that much. I was somewhat aware that I might be away for a long time,”
Pandya further said he aggravated his injury because he wanted to play in the World Cup.
“I had a recurrence and my injury period was extended to three months. I wasn’t able to walk. I was trying to make a comeback. The biggest pride is to play for the country and the World Cup at home was my baby. I missed out on that and I will remeber this for a long time,” he added.
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