Hardik Pandya: I played my debut Test at Galle in ODI mode
Hardik Pandya
The sense of occasion gets the better of many when it comes to Test debut but an unfazed Hardik Pandya felt as if he was "playing an ODI" during his whirlwind half-century in his maiden outing.
It was Pandya's 50 off 49 balls that enabled India to reach 600 quickly, which gave skipper Virat Kohli an "extra 15 overs" to have a go at the Sri Lankan batsmen in the first Test. Asked about his preparation coming into his first Test, Pandya said: "Even when I was batting, it felt like batting in one-dayers. The scenario was perfect for me. As an international cricketer, you need to be smart as in terms of preparation. While switching formats, there is a switch in mindset but skill sets generally don't change." The fast bowling all-rounder from Vadodara was in conversation with senior teammate Cheteshwar Pujara during a fun interview for 'bcci.tv'
Kohli wants him to do what Ben Stokes does for England, but Pandya's favourite all-rounder is South African legend Jacques Kallis.
"My favourite has always been Jacques Kallis for his amazing record across all formats — scoring those big runs batting at No 3 and also picking all those wickets."
Kallis' total runs across all formats is 25534 (13289 in Tests, 11579 in ODIs and 666 in T20Is) and he has picked 577 wickets (292 in Tests, 273 in ODIs and 12 in T20Is) in all.
When Pujara asked him if he loves the tag of 'Rockstar', Pandya said: "I can't say whether I am rockstar or not but I like experimenting with the colour of my hair, like wearing different clothes. If you call me a rockstar for that, I don't mind."
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