Mumbai Indians all-rounder Hardik Pandya has said that he has accepted that injuries would be a part and parcel of his career and he needs to live with it. He also added that injuries have always motivated him to perform better and overcome every adversity. The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is slated to be played from September 19 to November 10 in the UAE across three venues – Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. “In my life, I have realised one thing that injuries would be with me,” Pandya said in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of Mumbai Indians.

| Kung-Fu Pandya talks about what the team has in store for the Paltan #OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MI #Dream11IPL @hardikpandya7 pic.twitter.com/nkjrbIMx5L

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) September 15, 2020

“No one wants to get injured but I accept the fact that what I do, injuries will be a part. Injuries have always kept me going, always kept me motivated, actually taught me how much I have to put hard yards and the hard work has always increased, never decreased.

“Luckily, me and Krunal had the privilege of having a gym at home, so because of that portion we were able to focus on our fitness, which I have always believed that if you become much fitter than what you are previously I think you can increase your skill level and adapt to lots of things which you have never seen before.

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I have always felt that if you go one step ahead in your fitness, there are many more magical moments in your life waiting,” he added.

The all-rounder also said that he is in great mental space and as a result, he is looking forward to giving consistent performances for his franchise.

“Luckily I got one tournament which was DY Patil which I played for Reliance, as a player it gave me immense confidence to implement the hard work I have done over a period of time,” Pandya said. 

“The way I am hitting the ball right now, the shape and mental space I am in, it is just a matter of time that I go and spend some time on the ground and I think things will come out pretty well.

“IPL is something I have really enjoyed and I would like to make a comeback very strong, just looking forward to it,” he added.

Mumbai Indians will play Chennai Super Kings in the tournament opener on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.

Mumbai Indians squad: Rohit Sharma, Chris Lynn, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Saurabh Tiwary, Mohsin Khan, Digvijay Deshmukh, Balwant Rai Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Trent Boult, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Surya Kumar Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Anmolpreet Singh, Jayant Yadav, Aditya Tare, Anukul Roy, Quinton de Kock, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McClenaghan.