Hardik Pandya: Journey From Local Fields to Global Glory

Indian International Cricketer Hardik Pandya’s Journey From Local Fields to Global Glory

Hardik Himanshu Pandya, Hardik Pandya is an Indian international cricketer who is the current vice-captain of the Indian cricket team in limited overs format. He is the captain of Mumbai Indians in IPL.

A batting all-rounder who bowls right-arm fast-medium deliveries, Hardik Pandya has represented India in all 3 formats. He is considered as one of the best all-rounders in world cricket. He occasionally plays for his regional team Baroda in domestic cricket.

Early years

Hardik Pandya was born on 11 October 1993 in Choryasi, Surat, Gujarat, India. His father, Himanshu Pandya, ran a small car finance business in Surat which he shut down and moved to Vadodara when Hardik was five.

He moved to provide his sons with better cricket training facilities. Himanshu Pandya worked as a loan agent in Vadodara. Lacking finances, the Pandya family lived in a rented apartment in Gorwa, with the brothers.

They were supposed to use a second-hand car to travel to the cricket ground. Hardik studied at the MK High School until ninth grade before dropping out to focus on cricket.

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Hardik Pandya made steady progress in junior-level cricket. According to his father, Hardik was a leg spinner until the age of 18 and turned to fast bowling at the insistence of the Baroda coach Sanath Kumar.

Personal life of Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya’s brother Krunal has also played for India and the Mumbai Indians. Their father, Himanshu Pandya died in January 2021 of cardiac arrest.

Hardik Pandya got engaged to dancer and actress Natasha on 1^st January 2020. The couple had their first child-a boy on 30^th July 2020 their first child. His name is Agastya Pandya. On 14^th February 2023, the couple renewed their wedding vows in a ceremony in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Domestic career

Hardik Pandya has been playing for the Baroda cricket team since 2013. In January 2016, he slammed eight sixes during his innings, scoring 86 runs not-out, to guide the Baroda cricket team.   

Indian Premier League

Hardik Pandya played for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL from 2015 to 2021. Ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, Pandya was released by the Mumbai Indians. He was then drafted by the new Ahmedabad franchise, Gujarat Titans. He was named captain of the team.

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He led Gujarat to their maiden IPL title in 2022, becoming the first captain after Shane Warne to lead a team to the title in its first year. In IPL 2024, Pandya returned to Mumbai Indians after 2 seasons. He was announced as the captain of the side replacing Rohit Sharma.

International career

T20Is

Hardik Pandya made his Twenty20 International debut for India on 27^th January 2016 at the age of 22. In the match he picked up 2 wickets against Australia. His first Twenty20 International wicket was Chris Lynn.

In the second T20I against Sri Lanka, he batted ahead of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni and hit 27 off 14 balls before becoming hat-trick victim of Thisara Perera. In a 2016 World Twenty20 match against Bangladesh on 23^rd March, he took two crucial wickets in the last three balls of match’s final over as India beat Bangladesh by one run.

Hardik Pandya became first Indian to take 4 wickets and score above 30 runs in a T20I in the same match.
In September 2021, Pandya was named in India’s squad for the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

However, Pandya failed to make an impact as was expected. Pandya was picked as an all-rounder. However, he only bowled 2 overs against New Zealand without picking any wickets and giving away 17 runs. His lack of runs and inability to contribute with the ball led to his dropping from the squad for the T20I series that followed the World Cup against New Zealand.

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Again in June 2022, he was named India’s captain for their T20I matches against Ireland.
On 7^th July 2022, Hardik Pandya achieved his first T20 international half-century against England. He also took 4 wickets, making him the first Indian player to record a half-century and take 4 wickets in a single T20 international match.

ODI career

On 16^th October 2016, Hardik Pandya made his One Day International (ODI) debut for India against New Zealand at Dharamshala. He became the fourth Indian to be named player of the match on ODI debut after Sandeep Patil, Mohit Sharma and K. L. Rahul. In his first ODI innings, he scored 36 runs from 32 balls. On 18 June 2017, in the final of the Champions Trophy at the Oval, he struck a 43-ball 76 in a losing cause.

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He was selected in the ODI XI of the year 2017 by ESPNcricinfo. In April 2019, he was named in India’s squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. On 27 June 2019, in the match against the West Indies, Pandya played in his 50th ODI. On 17 July 2022, he bowled his ODI career-best 4–24 against England in Old Trafford.

Test career

In late 2016, he was included in India’s Test squad for their home series against England, but was eventually left out after he injured himself while training in the nets at the PCA Stadium. Later, he was named in the squad that toured Sri Lanka in July 2017 and played his first Test on 26 July in Galle.

He also set the record for scoring the most runs in a single over of a Test innings for India, scoring 26 runs, which was later surpassed by Jasprit Bumrah. This was his first century in international cricket.

Short Biography of Hardik Pandya

Name:	Hardik Pandya
Born:	October 11, 1993
Place:	Choryasi, Gujarat, India
Role:	All-rounder (Right-handed batsman, Right-arm fast-medium bowler)
Teams:	India national cricket team, Mumbai Indians (IPL)
Debut:	ODI – October 16, 2016 vs New Zealand
	Test – July 26, 2017 vs Sri Lanka
	T20I – January 26, 2016 vs Australia
Achievements:	– Part of the Indian team that reached the final of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy
	– Known for his aggressive batting style and handy medium-fast bowling
	– Instrumental in Mumbai Indians’ victories in the Indian Premier League
Controversies:	– Faced criticism for his controversial comments on a talk show
	– Suspended along with KL Rahul for inappropriate comments on the same show
Injuries:	– Suffered multiple injuries during his career, including a back injury
	– Underwent surgery for a lower-back injury in 2019
Personal Life:	– Engaged to Serbian actress Natasa Stankovic
	– Became a father to a son in July 2020
	– Known for his flamboyant lifestyle off the field

Controversy

In January 2019, Hardik Pandya appeared with teammate K. L. Rahul on the show Koffee with Karan, both of them made several controversial comments which were met with immediate public backlash. The public categorized his monologue as indecent, derogatory, misogynistic and disgraceful.

Hardik Pandya apologized for his remarks by saying that he had gotten carried away by the nature of the show. Both Pandya and Rahul were handed a suspension until a pending investigation and were called back from the ongoing tours of Australia and New Zealand. Furthermore, on 13^th January 2019, Gillette suspended their brand association with Pandya for its Mach3 razor.

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On 24^th January 2019, after lifting the suspension on Pandya and Rahul, the BCCI announced that Pandya would re-join the squad for the matches in New Zealand.

In November 2023, Hardik Pandya returned to the Mumbai Indians after two seasons with the Gujarat Titans and was later announced as captain of the side, replacing Rohit Sharma. The decision has been a subject of great controversy, and Pandya has been booed by the crowd.

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