Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar revealed that he hilariously asked Hardik Pandya to consider him in the Mumbai Indians' side ahead of IPL 2026 after the all-rounder complimented the legend's fitness. Gavaskar has revealed it to host Gaurav Kapoor following India's Super 4 clash against Bangladesh.
Pandya, the Mumbai Indians' skipper, succeeded Rohit Sharma in the role ahead of IPL 2024, has a forgettable edition in his first year. However, the star cricketer had a far better time as captain in 2025 as he lifted the Mumbai Indians to the playoffs. The Baroda-born cricketer will be looking to win the title next year.
When asked by Gaurav Kapoor what conversation Gavaskar had with Pandya, the 76-year-old responded:
"Hardik Pandya mujhe keh raha tha bade fit lag rahe ho. Maine kaha thik hai, Mumbai Indians ke liye consider karo IPL ke liye." (Hardik Pandya told me you look quite fit. I told him okay, please consider me for Mumbai Indians in IPL.)
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Hardik Pandya went wicketless but scored a useful 38 in India's win over Bangladesh
Meanwhile, the 30-year-old sent down two wicketless overs for 14 runs against Bangladesh on Wednesday in Dubai. Nevertheless, he scored a useful 38 off 29 balls to help the Men in Blue reach 168 as it proved to be more than enough for them to win and storm into the final.
India's batting largely revolved around Abhishek Sharma, who hammered 75 off 37 deliveries, thereby continuing his ominous form in the tournament. Nevertheless, they struggled to finish as strongly as the fans would have hoped. Although The Tigers got off to a promising start, India kept picking up regular wickets as Kuldeep Yadav became the pick of their bowlers with three scalps.
Only Saif Hassan (69) and Parvez Hossain Emon (21) managed to reach double figures. But Bangladesh have another Super 4 game against Pakistan on Thursday and a win will be enough to reach the final.
