MS Dhoni showed a lot of trust in us, reveals Hardik Pandya

MS Dhoni is one of the most loved and respected cricketers in India as fans as well as former cricketers and his teammates have often shared memories of playing alongside him. Under MS Dhoni’s captaincy, many youngsters got the chance to make their debut and have gone on to do well for the country.

Hardik Pandya is one such cricketer who got the chance to make his debut under MS Dhoni’s leadership and he considers himself “lucky” to have played under one of the greats in the history of Indian cricket. "When I joined the Indian team, I saw guys whom I had seen growing up Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ashish Nehra. Even before I played for India, they were the stars. For me, when I went there it was a big thing," Hardik Pandya told SGTV podcast.

"So obviously the kind of debut I had I think I am the first cricketer who had gone for 21 runs in his first over I genuinely felt that ok, this might be my last over. But I was very blessed and lucky to play under Mahi bhai who showed a lot of trust in us which has helped us reach where we did."

The Gujarat Titans skipper also revealed how MS Dhoni assured him a place in the World Cup squad even after just having played three international T20 matches. 

"Just after the third game of my international career, Mahi bhai told me you will be the World Cup team. So for me, to play World Cup or to get to know that in the third game I just got to know about this. I did not even bat in that game but he assured me that you have expressed yourself. Yeah, it was just a dream come true," Hardik Pandya said.