Above my pay grade: Hardik Pandya's response to why India didn't play in Pakistan
Hardik Pandya gave a witty response to a journalist who asked him why India didn’t go to Pakistan to play the Champions Trophy 2025. India played all their matches, including the final against New Zealand in Dubai, as they didn’t travel to Pakistan owing to security concerns.
While many pundits said India were given an advantage by playing all their matches in Dubai, the Indian team shut out the noise and went unbeaten throughout the tournament to clinch their third Champions Trophy title. A video of Hardik in the ICC media zone has now gone viral where he smartly answered a query from a journalist.
The all-rounder was told that people in Pakistan were eager to see the Indian team play in the country. Hardik said it is great to hear about it and felt that the Pakistan fans would have been entertained while watching the games in Dubai.
Hardik said it was above his pay grade to explain the exact reason why India opted not to travel to Pakistan.
“Great sir that they also wanted us to play there. But it didn’t happen. I’m sure that the Pakistan fans who came here to watch the game would have enjoyed the games for sure. Now why we didn’t go (to Pakistan) is above my pay grade. So yeah, that is all that I can say,” said Hardik Pandya.
You can see the full video below:
Hardik’s performance in Champions Trophy 2025
Hardik pulled off a handy job with both bat and ball for India during the Champions Trophy 2025. The all-rounder picked up 4 wickets from 5 matches and also played the finisher’s role for India in the semi-final against Australia and in the final vs New Zealand.
