The rise and rise of Baroda boy Hardik Pandya

When you stumble upon the statistics of Hardik Pandya, there is nothing special about him. He has no centuries against his name in professional cricket and just a solitary five-wicket haul 135 professional games across formats including 31 for India. But numbers don’t reveal the immense potential and talents this 23-year old possesses.

Pandya’s came into the spotlight through the most common route these days: the IPL. He was picked to play for the Mumbai Indians in the 2015 edition where he impressed everyone with his ability with both bat and ball. India has been in a never ending search for a genuine all-rounder for years and Pandya gave everyone a hope. The right-hander gave a sneak-peek into his big-hitting abilities in his very first IPL game when he smacked Abu Nechim for two towering sixes over midwicket in the last over to finish on a 6-ball 16.

Remembering about the game, Pandya said that he had to rush to the middle in the 19th over as Mumbai had lost 4 wickets in 7 balls. He had senior statesman Harbhajan Singh in the middle. “Bhajji Paa asked me to live my life and smash as many as I can in the last over,” said Pandya on the show ‘What the Duck 2’. That innings followed another cameo, where he took his side home by hitting an 8-ball 21 which included 3 sixes. Pandya is a sweet timer of the ball and has a great downswing of the bat to go along with it.

Encounter with Sachin Tendulkar

The great Sachin Tendulkar, who is the mentor of the side, had predicted Pandya donning the India colours very soon. He is known to be a very humble man and Pandya was surprised with the legend’s modesty. “I was having lunch and Sachin sir patted on my shoulder to say hi. I nearly dropped my plate” remembers Pandya of his very first meeting with the iconic cricketer. Pandya was very curious ever since Sachin wanted to speak to the all-rounder mid-way during his maiden IPL season. “After warming-up at the Eden Gardens before the KKR game, I finally got a chance to go up to him. He said that I was doing well and should play for India within the next 18 months” recollects Pandya on the show ‘What the Duck’. “I indeed ended up playing for India after 6 and half months of this encounter with Sir” pointed the Baroda boy.

The rest, as they say, is history. Not that Pandya has established himself as a world-class player. But he has shown shades of brilliance, the latest one being his maverick 43-ball 76 in the 180-run loss against Pakistan in the finals of the recently concluded Champions Trophy. Pandya’s knock was studded with 6 colossal sixes, including 3 consecutive ones off leg-spinner Shadab Khan. His knock was the only silver lining amidst the dark clouds for India. He was also the only bowler, barring Bhuvneshwar Kumar, to make an impact during the Pakistan innings. Team India’s investment and patience in the Baroda all-rounder is reaping benefits now and this is just the beginning.

Early life

Pandya was born in Choryasi in Surat where his father Himanshu Pandya, ran a car finance business. Pandya senior’s both sons: Hardik and Krunal had palpable talent which prompted him to shift base to Baroda for more opportunities and better exposure for his sons. Both brothers then trained at the Kiran More International Cricket Academy while his father did odd jobs to make ends meet. Soon Pandya senior, the family’s sole breadwinner, fell ill. “My father suffered two heart attacks in the same night and almost had another one in the next six months but thankfully we reached the hospital on time” recollects Pandya of the horror time. While his father was bedridden, the responsibility of the family had fallen on two broad but young shoulders of the Pandya brothers.

Because of their cricketing ability, both brothers used to end 40,000 annually. “Out of this money 4,000 use to go in TDS and the rest in our car instalment which was 10,000 a month,” says Pandya. That was a very tough time for the family and both brothers started playing in local matches to gather more and more money to support themselves. “Krunal charged Rs 500 a game but I was happy with 400,” says Pandya with a rise smile. “We both believed that hard work always pays”. Amidst the hard times, the Pandya brothers never wanted any sympathy from anyone. “We had a motto in life to never take sympathy from anyone no matter what,” says Hardik. Both brothers are tough as nails.

During tumultuous times, Hardik’s diet was limited to just a plate of Maggi. “I used to love Maggi and it constituted both my meals because I liked it and it was the only thing I could afford during our financial crisis,” says the 23-year old. Hardik kept the trust and went on to realise his dream of playing for his country in 2015. He calls the journey from those tough days to the glitz and glamorous life now a “beautiful one”.

A star in the making

Fast forward to 2017, Hardik is a regular member of the limited-overs teams of India. Veteran and arguably the most celebrated Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan is a fan of both brothers. “Amit Sir came up to us in an event and said that he is a big fan of us as we both bring energy in the field. He hugged us and I was astonished” recollects Hardik of his first meeting with the legendary actor. Life hasn’t been a bed of roses for Hardik but he stuck to his guns and fought it all out in the company of his brother, who he shares a close bond with.

Pandya’s never-say-die-attitude stands out beside his ostensible talent. Indian cricket must groom him as he has the potential to become a world beater. With time and experience, Pandya will learn and keep evolving. He has been outstanding with the bat, averaging 53 after 8 innings in ODI cricket and has a jaw-dropping strike rate of 141 along with two beaming half-centuries. In the forthcoming West Indies series, Pandya can be promoted up the order to see how he reacts to the responsibility. Indian cricket must not see him just as a dasher who can make runs quickly at the end. If given the right stepping-stones, he can be in the mould of Kevin Pietersen or similar attacking batsmen.

Pandya’s fitness stands out which allows him to bowl at a decent speed but on occasions, he can be wayward and tends to overuse his go-to-ball: the bouncer. All of just 23, he will keep getting better every game. His humble background will always keep him level-headed and the unquenchable hunger to succeed will take him to greater heights in the years to come.