Today (October 11), Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain of the Indian ODI squad, turns 30. Later today, the all-around player will compete in a World Cup match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium versus Afghanistan.
In 2016, Hardik Pandya made his debut overseas. Pandya has had more ups and downs in his seven-year career than the majority of other cricketers. Pandya has experienced it all, from living off Maggi to being India’s best pace-bowling all-rounder to being suspended for making improper statements, suffering a serious back injury, and finally becoming a successful player and leader.
Many fans will be familiar with the aforementioned specifics of Hardik’s trip. However, here are five facts about the pace-bowling all-rounder that most fans are unaware of:
1. Hardik Pandya almost ended up playing for the Lucknow Super Giants
Pandya’s choice to join the Gujarat Titans was one of his finest sports moves. The franchise in Ahmedabad not only gave him a 15 crore deal, but also requested him to oversee the squad. Pandya had never before led a squad in his life.
Pandya led the Gujarat Titans to the title in his maiden season as captain. The Gujarat skipper said on the GK meets GT podcast that he had an offer from Lucknow Super Giants before Ashish Nehra contacted and gave him the opportunity to lead GT. With KL Rahul present at LSG, Hardik took the offer seriously, but ultimately chose to join Gujarat.
2. Hardik Pandya’s father owned 22 cars
Many people believe that Pandya hails from a low-income household. While part of that remark is correct, it is important to emphasize that Hardik’s father was not initially financially strapped. He had a successful company in Surat, which he sold to go to Baroda for his boys’ promising future in cricket. Hardik Pandya’s father, Himanshu Pandya, once owned 22 automobiles.
“The love for cars comes from my dad. At one point, before I was born, he had 22 cars. Long ago my father gave me a Maruti 800, which cost him around Rs 11,000 then,”
Hardik Pandya
3. A couple of cricketers told him to leave Mumbai Indians in 2016
During the same ESPNCricinfo interview, Pandya said that following his debut for India in 2016, a handful of players advised him to quit Mumbai Indians. The players said that Pandya was worth more than the ten lakh rupees that MI paid him.
“I got picked at ten lakhs, right? Next year, a couple of cricketers, I won’t name them, came and told me: ‘Hardik, you deserve six-seven crores now.’ Because I had played for India and I was the only all-rounder going around at that point,” Pandya revealed.
Hardik Pandya
Pandya did not pay attention to them. He continued to play for MI for 10 lakh in 2016 and 2017. MI boosted his compensation to 11 crore in 2018.
4. Hardik Pandya wore his highest individual score as his jersey number initially
Pandya wears jersey number 33 whether playing for Gujarat Titans or Team India, however his jersey number was 228 when he first appeared in the IPL and international cricket.
A lesser-known fact is that Pandya’s highest individual score across all forms is 228. In the 2009 Vijay Merchant Trophy, he achieved it while playing for the Baroda U-16 squad against Mumbai.
5. Hardik Pandya started his career as a leg-spin bowling all-rounder
Hardik Pandya said in a 2015 interview with Cricbuzz that he began as a leg-spin bowler. His team, on the other hand, did not allow him enough overs to bowl, which irritated him at times. For a while, he quit bowling and concentrated only on hitting.
Pandya attempted seam bowling to assist the others in the nets. Sanath Kumar, his Ranji Trophy coach, observed his quick bowling in the nets and chose him as a fast-bowling all-rounder, and the rest is history.