Hardik

Pandya

Hardik Pandya Biography and Career

There are few cricketers in the history of Indian cricket who have divided opinions as much as Hardik Pandya. He is brash, in your face and carries the attitude you wouldn’t always associate with an Indian cricketer. But, what’s important is that Pandya has backed his attitude with impeccable performances.

In a country where spinners can be found by the dozen any and everywhere you go, Pandya is the rare breed of a fast bowling all-rounder, much like Kapil Dev. A bowler who could bowl at 140kph regularly and a batter who could clear the boundaries with ease, Pandya quickly became a regular in the Indian setup. However, injuries marred his consistency, and his off-field activities also did not go down well with the BCCI top brass. Yet, Pandya remains a vital cog in the Indian setup in the ODI and T20I formats and is one of the key reasons behind India winning the T20 World Cup 2024.

Pandya has been in the news right from the start of his career—sometimes for the right reasons, sometimes not so much. He has faced the ire of the fans and been involved in controversies, but amidst all that, he has been a match-winner for India. 

Pandya was among the few cricketers who rose to prominence on the back of his IPL numbers compared to his first-class performances. He was picked by Mumbai Indians almost out of obscurity in 2015 as a 22-year-old. He smashed 61 off just 31 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders and suddenly made an entry into everyone’s consciousness. He soon became India’s answer to a fast bowling all-rounder and made his international debut against Australia in 2016 in a T20I. An ODI debut followed the same year against New Zealand before he made his Test debut in 2017 against Sri Lanka.

Pandya dropped out of school after class 9 to focus on his cricketing career. Much later, he suggested that it was very risky, and he advises every young cricketer to complete their studies and only then focus on a cricket career. 

Pandya hailed from a not-so-well-to-do family in Baroda and had to face a lot of hardships in his initial years. He started off as a leg-spinner and then switched to medium pace. While he made his domestic debut for Baroda across formats, it was former India head coach John Wright who spotted him and Mumbai Indians picked him for his bace price of Rs 10 lakh in 2015. 

In 2016, Pandya made it to India’s T20 World Cup squad. In a crucial group stage match against Bangladesh, with only two runs to defend off three balls in the last over, Pandya took India to a memorable victory. Pandya’s stocks soon rose, and he made his India debut across formats while being a lynchpin of the Mumbai Indians team in the IPL.

Pandya is the perfect all-round package. He has a Test century and a five-wicket haul, as well as fifties and four-wicket hauls in both T20Is and ODIs. Pandya was part of the Indian side in the 2017 Champions Trophy, 2019 and 2023 ODI World Cup squads, and all the T20 World Cups since 2016. He played a key role in each edition, and with aplomb.

However, Pandya’s biggest contribution undoubtedly came in the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup. Not only was he lethal with the bat and ball, but he was tasked with bowling the last over of South Africa’s chase in the final. He bowled a nerveless 20th over and helped India win a T20 World Cup trophy after 17 years. 

Ahead of the IPL 2022 auction, Pandya was bought by the new team Gujarat Titans and named captain. He responded by leading his side to a title win in the very first year. In 2023 IPL, he then led them to the final where his side lost to Chennai Super Kings in a hard-fought final. After the game Pandya said: "I'm very happy for him [Dhoni]. Destiny had this written for him. If I had to lose, I don't mind losing to him."

That led to Pandya being bought by Mumbai ahead of the 2024 auction in an all-cash trade. He replaced Rohit as the captain, which did not go down well with the Mumbai crowd and he was heavily booed and trolled every time he walked out for the toss in IPL 2024. It affected his game and not only did he have a poor season, but Mumbai also failed to make it past the group stage. 

But, eventually, he won over the fans. 

Beyond Cricket

Hardik Pandya announced his engagement with Serbian actress Natasa Stankovic in January 2020 and on July 30 the same year, the couple welcomed their first child, Agastya Pandya into this world. The couple renewed their wedding vows on February 14, 2023 but mutually separated a little over a year later in July 2024.

Away from cricket, Pandya has also been embroiled in a lot of off-field controversies. In 2019, he was reprimanded and subsequently suspended by the BCCI for misogynistic remarks on a television show. In 2019, Gillette also suspended their brand association with Pandya for its Mach 3 razor. 

Pandya has endorsed several brands including the Souled Store, Gatorade, POCO, BoAt, Dream 11, Monster Energy, Gulf Oil, Zaggle among others. He has also been on the covers of magazines such as Maxim India and the Man.

Pandya was awarded with the famous Arjuna Award in 2019 by the Government of India. 

Hardik Pandya Records

Hardik Pandya ODI Records

• Player of the Match on debut: Pandya became only the fourth Indian player to be named player of the match on his ODI debut.
• A fifty and a four-for:  On 17 July 2022, Pandya recorded his career-best ODI figures of 4/24 against England in Old Trafford. He also scored 71 runs in the second innings, which made him the first Indian to score a fifty and bag four wickets in an ODI since Yuvraj Singh in 2011.

Hardik Pandya Test Records

• 26 runs in an over: In 2017, Pandya smashed 26 runs in a single over of a Test. This was the most runs scored by an Indian in an over in Tests before Jasprit Bumrah surpassed him
• A hundred before lunch: Pandya is the only Indian player to score over hundred runs before lunch on any day of a Test
• Maiden first-class century: Pandya is the fifth Indian batsman whose maiden first class century came in a Test match

Hardik Pandya T20I Records

• Captain Pandya: In June 2022, Pandya was named captain of the Indian T20I side against Ireland
• A half-century and a four-for: In July 2022, Pandya became the first Indian player to score a half-century and take four wickets in a single T20I match. He achieved the feat against England.
• 2024 T20 World Cup: Pandya was the vice-captain of the Indian side that won the T20 World Cup in 2024. He also bowled the last over in the final which took India over the line.

Hardik Pandya IPL Records

• Mumbai Indians stint: Pandya was Mumbai Indians poster boy from 2015 to 2021 and was part of the winning team in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
• Captaincy success with Gujarat Titans: In 2022, Pandya led new franchise Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title win in their very first season
• Best season: Pandya's most profitable season as an allrounder was in 2019, when he scored 402 runs and picked 14 wickets as Mumbai took home the title. He was also the player of the match in the final that season