'We usually talk about': Hardik Pandya opens up on his topic of discussion with MS Dhoni

The Indian cricket team is currently in legendary Indian skipper MS Dhoni’s hometown, Ranchi for the T20I series opener against New Zealand. In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday, Dhoni was seen paying a visit to the Indian dressing room and talking with the team members, including Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Washington Sundar, among the others.

Later in the day, India’s captain for the T20I series, Hardik spoke to the reporters at the pre-match press conference and revealed he doesn’t talk about cricket when he meets the legendary India skipper. "Mahi bhai is here which is good as we get to meet him. We can get out of the hotel also (to meet him). Otherwise, the way we have played in the last one month, it has just been hotel to hotel," he told reporters.

"We try to talk about life and keep cricket away"

"And when we meet we try to talk about life and keep cricket away. When we played together I learnt a lot from him. I have squeezed a lot out of him (knowledge)... there is not much left," Hardik added. The star allrounder is known for sharing a great bond with the former skipper ever since making his international debut under Dhoni. In an Instagram post on Thursday, Hardik was seen posing with Dhoni, while being seated on his bike.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Hardik Himanshu Pandya (@hardikpandya93)

Hardik Pandya - The next full-time white-ball captain of India?

Meanwhile, Hardik seems to be following the footsteps of his idol, as he is being pipped as the next white-ball captain for India. He has already led the Men In Blue in several T20I series following India’s bitter exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. He became the vice-captain in ODIs for the first time during the recently concluded three-match ODI series against New Zealand.

The allrounder played a key role in India’s campaign to earn a 3-0 ODI clean sweep against the Black Caps. He will now lead the Indian side in a three-match T20I series against the Kiwis, which begins on Friday. In his previous series as the T20I captain, India defeated Sri Lanka by 2-1, earlier this month.