10 Current Cricketers and their cricketing idols

6. Hardik Pandya- Irfan Pathan

Hardik Pandya is known for his fearless playing style in the limited formats of the game. Riding on his batting and bowling displays, India have got hold of their opponents a lot of times. He has also captained the Indian team in T20Is ever since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2022, and delivered some positive results.

Playing for the Men in Blue in 71 ODI matches, he has taken 68 wickets at an economy of 5.59. Talking about his batting numbers, the right-hander has notched up 1,518 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 113.28. In T20Is too, he has been impressive for India with 1,271 runs at a strike rate of 142.17 in 87 T20 matches. With the ball, he has picked up 69 scalps at an economy of 8.14. 

In an interview with CricTracker in 2015, Pandya was asked who inspired him the most as a young cricketer, to which he responded saying “My cricketing idol is Irfan Pathan. He bowls, bats, and does everything. He is also a proper all-rounder like me. I have been following him since my childhood. Just like him, I am also an all-rounder and have been learning a lot of things from him while playing for Baroda."