‘I Am Just Hoping To Get A Game And…’: IPL Star’s Request To Hardik Pandya
Team India will face off against Sri Lanka in the 1st T20I match of three-match series on Tuesday, January 03,2023.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been designated as the stand-in captain for the series while seniors KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are not a part of the 16-member squad. The Men in Blue will sport a young squad with the likes of Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar and Rahul Tripathi who are yet to mark their debuts in any format for India.
Ahead of the series, Indian Premier League(IPL) star Mavi has kept his fingers crossed for a chance to represent the national team. In an interview with PTI, the 24-year-old was all praise for Pandya and hoped to get an opportunity to play in the series from the stand-in skipper.
“Hardik Pandya supports every player. He is a great leader. It is very difficult to be the IPL champions in the first outing but he managed to do it. He led Gujarat Titans from the front and became champions. He is a calm leader but took some bold decisions,” said Mavi
“As a captain Hardik bhai is very shrewd and a master tactician. He knows exactly whom to bowl when and whom to promote in the batting order. I know it is not going to be easy for me but I am just hoping to get a game, perform there and be a regular for India,” he added.
The fast bowler made a case for his selection into the national side after delivering good performance in the domestic matches. While playing for Uttar Pradesh, Mavi picked up 10 wickets in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament and got 14 scalps in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
In the IPL 2023 auction held recently, Mavi was bought by Pandya-led Gujarat Titans(GT) for a whopping INR 6 crore. The 24-year-old talked about his selection for GT and highlighted the positives that might benefit him in the upcoming IPL season.
“Yes, I was expecting something around ₹5 and 6 crore. It is a result of my consistent performances. I always wanted to be in GT because I have heard that their management is very good. GT has Hardik bhai and (Ashish) Nehra bhai, the two best thinkers of the game,” said Mavi.