On this day: Birth of the enigmatic Hardik Pandya
The swagger of modern-day cricket, Hardik Pandya has shown immense promise and class ever since he made his debut for the Indian team in international cricket in 2016. Pandya has emerged as a complete player, contributing heavily with the bat, ball and his acrobatic fielding skills. However, the all-rounder had to go through the hard-grind of life before becoming one of the most successful cricketers in the country at the moment.
As the Surat-born celebrates his 27th birthday on October 11 2020, let’s flip back the pages and revisit the journey of Hardik Pandya from the streets of struggle to the roads of glory.
The struggle
A few years back, things weren’t as easy for Hardik as he along with his brother Krunal had to toil hard to make both ends meet. Coming from a humble background, there were days when the two brothers survived on just a packet of instant noodles worth Rs. 5. His parents had to make a lot of sacrifices to enroll their children in Kiran More’s Cricket Academy in Vadodara. However, it started paying off when Hardik excelled in the domestic circuit for Baroda. Known for his quickfire innings and tight bowling, the Gujarat stalwart amassed 1,351 runs and 48 wickets in 29 first-class matches followed by 1,291 runs and 70 wickets in 75 List A fixtures.
But it was his form in the Indian Premier League that propelled the selectors to give him a chance on the big stage. Mumbai Indians picked Hardik for a mere amount of INR 10 lakhs in 2015 and the amount of money has been increasing at a lightning speed since then. Portraying his swashbuckling ability to hit the ball, street-smart bowling and outstanding fielding, Hardik collected two Man of the Match awards while playing a vital cog in Mumbai’s second win in the T20 extravaganza in 2015.
International debut
Hardik made his much-awaited debut for the Indian team in a T20I fixture against Australia on January 26, 2016, followed by an ODI debut against New Zealand on October 16, 2016. Since then, the 27-year-old has collected 957 runs in 54 ODIs and 310 runs in 40 T20Is along with picking up 54 and 38 wickets respectively.
Being predominantly noted for playing an aggressive brand of cricket, many felt that Pandya was not made for the longest format of the game. However, his transition from a T20 batsman to a Test batsman has been exceptional. Since his debut in Test format in 2017 against Sri Lanka, Hardik has garnered 532 runs at an average of 31.3 and picked up 17 wickets at an economy of 3.38 in 11 Test appearances.
The Controversy
There was a twist in the tale when Pandya’s career hit an all-time low after his demeaning comment in a chat show. He along with Indian batsman KL Rahul were suspended from the team and were sent back from the Australia tour in January 2019. However, the power-hitter made a brilliant comeback with his performance in the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League. He scored 402 runs in 15 innings and took 14 wickets, including a 17-ball half-century against Kolkata Knight Riders to help Mumbai Indians lift a record fourth title.
The Surat-born sensation further had a decent outing in the 2019 World Cup, where he contributed with both bat and ball to help India reach the semi-finals where they lost to New Zealand. Hardik’s career has taken a flying start and the cricketer has to achieve a lot of milestones to be counted in the league of Indian all-rounders like Yuvraj Singh and Kapil Dev.
