Hardik Pandya credits girlfriend Mahieka Sharma after India’s win against South Africa at T20I: ‘She’s been nothing but best to me since she has entered my life’ |

Cricketer Hardik Pandya played a pivotal role in Team India’s commanding 101-run win over South Africa in the opening match of T20I of the five-match series. The match also marked an impressive return for Hardik, who recently recovered from a left quadricep injury. After helping seal the victory, he dedicated his performance to his girlfriend, model Mahieka Sharma.Speaking after the match, Hardik shared, “You should be a rockstar, you know. You come, perform for 10 minutes and the crowd goes berserk. I think that has been the biggest motivation for me. Life has always thrown a lot of lemons at me. I always thought I’d make a lemonade. I’ve always believed that if you don’t believe in yourself, how would others believe you? My mindset was really about coming back stronger, bigger, better.”He further expressed how the crowd’s excitement fuels him every time he steps on the field. “Every time that I walk in, I feel like all the crowd is just waiting. They’ve come for this moment, to watch me bat. Cause I’ve stood strong, I have done a lot of things with grace, and I think that has helped me to become even more confident, back myself and really trust my skillset. I really believe in myself as a player.”Hardik also credited Mahieka for being his pillar of strength during his recovery phase. “Injuries are very… it tests you mentally as well and at the same point of time it kind of puts a lot of doubts. A lot of credit goes to the loved ones which I had. Special mention to my partner as well. She’s been nothing but best to me since she has entered my life and a lot of great things have happened since she has arrived,” he said.Reflecting on his overall journey, the all-rounder added, “I think I’ve been a very honest and very real person in life as well, which has helped me a lot. I don’t really sugarcoat a lot in my life. It’s never about the other person, it’s never about how others think or how others perceive. It is always about how I feel inside. Now it’s time where Hardik Pandya wants to just play the sport and enjoy every second on the ground. Bigger and better will be the motto in my life.”Meanwhile, Hardik recently took a strong stand for Mahieka after paparazzi captured her inappropriately, calling out the behaviour and criticising the “cheap sensationalism.”