IPL 2019: Hardik Pandya might've been playing for SRH had they paid heeds to Irfan Pathan's advice

Hardik Pandya is one of the most sought-after all-rounders in the Indian cricket circles at the moment. Over the last few years, he has been one of the most impactful players around. Even though he is not someone who gets you massive scores or picks up piles of wickets every time, he adds a great deal of stability to any side that he is in.

The Baroda cricketer has begun his career with the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL and has evolved into one of the most important players in their squad. The 25-year-old is possibly playing his best cricket at the moment and seems to be an extremely determined individual. He is finishing off the games for his team with some terrific hitting towards the end. Also, he is bowling well and picks up important wickets in the middle overs. But did you know that he could’ve been a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)?

Is Irfan Pathan the secret scout for SRH?

The IPL is all about spotting the talent and nurturing it. Even though the SRH management had an opportunity to do so, they couldn’t really realise the potential of Hardik Pandya back in 2013. Irfan Pathan, in the talk show after the game between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, decided to take a dig at his good mate VVS Laxman. The southpaw said that he suggested VVS Laxman pick Hardik in the auction way back in 2013.

Talking about the same, VVS said that Irfan called him up and informed him about Hardik Pandya – a very talented player from Baroda. He further added that the younger Pathan asked him to surely pick the 25-year-old in the auction. But Laxman and the management decided otherwise because they felt that the performance of Hardik for Baroda at that point in time wasn’t impressive. Thus, he justified that they were unfortunate not to have picked him.

When the host Jatin Sapru asked why he didn’t pay heeds to Irfan’s advice, Laxman laughed and told that he can’t reveal the reason. He further added that they picked Deepak Hooda on the advice of the left-arm pacer. Irfan Pathan also suggested SRH pick Jammu & Kashmir pacer, Rasikh Salam, ahead of this season. However, SRH didn’t pick him and Laxman joked that they didn’t want to start an academy of fast bowlers within the SRH team.

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