Watching the India cricket team lose the ODI World Cup 2023 Final while he’s out injured instead of being on the field with his teammates, one can imagine what Hardik Pandya was feeling on November 19. Having suffered an ankle injury during the India vs Bangladesh match, the all-rounder was supposed to be out for 3–4 weeks.
However, the all-rounder has revealed that he wasn’t ready to miss out on a home World Cup. While he originally required 25 days, Hardik Pandya decided to push his limits and instead caused the injury to worsen, resulting in him missing out on nearly 5 months of cricket. Talking with Star Sports about his injury and the end of his ODI World Cup aspirations, he said:
“I don’t start preparations for a tournament 2-3 months before. The preparation for the World Cup began a year ago. I planned my routines. This was a freak injury. Very few people know that my injury was extended because, when I got injured, it was meant to be for 25 days only. But I pushed. I was like, ‘I had come back’. When I left the team, I told them, ‘main 5 din me vaapis aa raha hu’ (I will come back in five days).”
Hardik Pandya on injury & heartbreak
On the extent of his injury and the heartbreak of missing out on winning the prestigious ODI World Cup trophy for his country, Hardik Pandya said:
“I got injections done on my ankles at three different places; I had to remove blood from my ankle because the swelling became that much. In a way, I didn’t want to give up. At one point, I was aware that if I kept pushing, I might be away for a long time. If there was a 1% chance of being with the team, I would.”
“When I was pushing, I had a recurrence where my injury extended to three months. I wasn’t able to walk, but I was even trying to run. I was on painkillers; I was trying to make a comeback. The biggest pride for me is to play for the country, and the World Cup at home was my baby. I missed out on that, and it is something that is going to be heavy on the heart.”
