Know Your Player – Hardik Pandya
Cricketing milestones, rise through the ranks, trials and tribulations and their glamorous lifestyles – we cover it all in ‘Know Your Player’. In our latest edition, we take a look at the power-packed Hardik Pandya!
The beginning
Hardik’s father shut down his car finance business in Surat and moved to Baroda when Hardik was just 5. He then got both his sons (Hardik & Krunal) enrolled into former Indian cricketer Kiran More’s cricket academy. Despite living in a rented apartment, he ensured both his sons got proper training, even if it meant travelling to the academy in a second-hand car.
Did you know? Until the age of 18, Hardik was a leg-spinner. He switched to seam bowling on the insistence of his then Baroda coach, Sanath Kumar.
IPL exploits
Hardik has been the mainstay of Mumbai Indians. After two lean seasons to begin with, the all-rounder started showing his potential both with the bat and the ball. His 1300-plus runs in the IPL have come at a strike rate of 158. His medium-fast bowling has been more than handy. Hardik snapped 18 wickets and 14 wickets in IPL season 2018 and 2019 respectively.
The rise
Off the field
Controversy’s favourite child, Hardik found himself in a soup after his derogatory comments on women on the popular show ‘Koffee With Karan’ in 2019. The BCCI suspended him and teammate KL Rahul from participating in the Australia & New Zealand tours. Hardik later apologised for his remarks and the suspension was eventually lifted.
From Esha Gupta to Elli Avram, Hardik’s personal life has always been in the limelight. On January 01 2020, the cricketer finally put an end to all the rumours by announcing his engagement to Serbian model and actress Nataša Stanković. The couple then tied the knot and welcomed a baby boy.
