A wiry young lad from a small town in Gujarat, Hardik Pandya, with his tattoos and peroxide highlights, encapsulates the charisma and swagger of the modern-day Indian cricketer. The all-rounder was propelled into the big stage after constant exposure to prime-time television in the form of the Indian Premier League.
Hardik Pandya’s Bio
| Full Name | Hardik Himanshu Pandya |
| Nick Name | Harry, Kung-Fu-Pandya |
| Place of Birth | Choryasi, Gujarat |
| Date of Birth | October 11, 1993 |
| Age | 28 Years |
| Batting Style | Right Handed Bat |
| Bowling Style | Right Arm Fast Medium |
| Role in Team | All-rounder |
| Zodiac Sign | Libra |
| Hometown | Choryasi Gujarat |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Physical Measurements
| Height | 1.83 m |
| Weight | 75 Kg |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Chest | 39 Inches |
| Biceps | 12 Inches |
| Waist | 31 Inches |
Family and Relationships
| Father Name | Himanshu Pandya |
| Mother Name | Nalini Pandya |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Natasa Stankovic |
| Girlfriend | Elli AvrRam, Lisha Sharma and Natasa Stankovic |
| Son | Agastya Pandya |
| Daughter | None |
| Siblings | Krunal Pandya |
Teams Hardik Pandya Played for
| India | Baroda | Mumbai Indians |
| India A T20 | India A | Gujrat Titans |
| IBP XI | World XI | Indians |
Facts
| Favorite Color | White |
| Favorite Food | Gujarati Cuisine |
| Favorite Actors | Akshay Kumar |
| Favorite Singers | Not known |
| Favorite Actress | Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, and Kareena Kapoor |
| Holiday Destinations | Not Known |
| Hobbies | Traveling and music |
| Favorite Cricketers | Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh |
| Favorite Brand | Not Known |
| Favorite Bowler | Harbhajan Singh |
| Favorite Cricket Ground | Wankhade Cricket Stadium |
| Favorite Commentators | Not Known |
| Favorite Shot | Straight Drive |
| Favorite Dress | Not Known |
| Favorite Team to play against | Australia |
| Favorite Football Club | Manchester United Football Club |
| Favorite Superhero | Superman |
| Cars Collection | Audi A6, Land Rover, Range Rover |
| T20I Cap Number | 58 |
| ODI Cap Number | 215 |
| Test Cap Number | 289 |
| Does He Smoke? | Yes |
| Does He Drink? | Yes |
| Languages he spoke | Hindi, English, and Gujarati |
Education
He has studied till 9th standard from M. K. High School Baroda.
Career
Early Years
On October 11, 1993, Hardik Pandya was born in Surat, Gujarat. At age five, Hardik’s father, Himanshu Pandya, shut down his small car finance business in Surat and moved to Vadodara so his sons could receive better cricket training.
He enrolled his two sons in Kiran More’s cricket academy in Vadodara. The Pandya brothers lived in a rented apartment in Gorwa because they lacked finances and traveled to the cricket grounds using a second-hand car.
Hardik attended MK High School until ninth grade before dropping out to concentrate on cricket.
Hardik made steady progress in junior-level cricket and, according to Krunal, “won many matches single-handedly” in club cricket. In an interview with the Indian Express, Hardik revealed that he was dropped from his state age-group teams due to his “attitude problems”.
He added that he was “just an expressive child” who did not “like to hide his emotions.” According to his father, Hardik was a leg spinner until he was 18 and turned to fast bowling at the insistence of the Baroda coach, Sanath Kumar.
Domestic Cricket
In 2013, Hardik Pandya joined the Baroda cricket team. In the 2013–14 season, he played an essential role in helping Baroda win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. As a result of his eight sixes during his innings, he guided the Baroda cricket team to a six-wicket victory over the Vidarbha cricket team in January 2016.
IPL
In the IPL, Pandya played for the Mumbai Indians from 2015 to 2021. A must-win match for Mumbai Indians to remain in the playoff race, he scored 61 runs off 31 balls to win the game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, earning him his second man of the match award.
The Mumbai Indians released Pandya ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. He was named team captain after being drafted by the new Ahmedabad franchise, Gujarat Titans. He led Gujarat to their maiden IPL title in 2022, becoming the first captain after Shane Warne to do so.
He played his first IPL match in 2015 against Royal Challengers Bangalore at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. He has played 107 games until now and has scored 1963 runs at an average of 30.2, with a strike rate of 147.59. He also has taken 50 wickets at an average of 30.7 with an economy rate of 8.75 in the 70 innings he has played.
International Cricket
As a T20I debutant for India against Australia in January 2016, Hardik Pandya was 22 years old. He scored 27 off 14 balls in the second T20I against Sri Lanka cricket at Ranchi before becoming Thisara Perera’s hat-trick victim.
In Asia Cup 2016, Pandya smashed an 18-ball 31 to help India post a respectable score against Bangladesh. In the end, he also took a wicket for the victory. Against Pakistan, he bowled 3 for 8 to restrict the visitors to 83 runs.
As India beat Bangladesh by one run in a World Twenty20 match on March 23, 2016, Pandya took two crucial wickets in the last three balls of the match’s final over. In the 3rd and final Twenty20 International against England on July 8, 2018, he bowled 4 for 38 and got 33 not out in 14 balls, hitting a six off Jordan to score the winning runs.
Hardik became the first Indian to take four wickets and score above 30 runs in a T20I in the exact match. In September 2021, Pandya was named to India’s squad for the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. However, Pandya failed to make an impact as expected.
He scored 11 against Pakistan, which India lost by ten wickets. His subsequent innings of 23 against New Zealand did not help to further India’s cause in the tournament, as losing against New Zealand meant India crashed out of the World Cup despite winning big over inexperienced teams like Afghanistan, Scotland, and Namibia.
Hardik Pandya was picked as an all-rounder. However, he only bowled two overs against New Zealand without picking any wickets and giving away 17 runs. His lack of runs and inability to contribute with the ball led to his dropping from the squad for the T20I series that followed the World Cup against New Zealand.
In June 2022, Pandya was named India’s captain for their T20I matches against Ireland. On July 7, 2022, Pandya achieved his first T20 international half-century against England at The Rose Bowl in Southampton, scoring 51 runs on 33 balls.
Pandya also took four wickets, making him the first Indian player to record a half-century and take four wickets in a single T20 international match.
On October 16, 2016, Pandya made his One Day International (ODI) debut for India against New Zealand in Dharamshala. On his ODI debut, he became the fourth Indian to be named player of the match after Sandeep Patil, Mohit Sharma, and K. L. Rahul.
He scored 36 runs from 32 balls in his first ODI innings as a batsman. During the group stages of the ICC Champions Trophy, Pandya hit three consecutive sixes off Imad Wasim in the same over.
On June 18, 2017, in the final of the Champions Trophy at the Oval, he struck a 43-ball 76 in a losing cause after coming in with India at 54/5 following a top-order collapse.
The Indian Team selected Hardik Pandya for their home series against England in 2016, but he was eventually discarded after he injured himself while training in the nets. He played his first Test on July 26 in Galle after being selected for the tour of Sri Lanka in July 2017.
In the 3rd and final Test match against Sri Lanka at Pallekele, Pandya scored his maiden Test century and set the record for becoming the first Indian batsman to score a Test century just before lunch. He also set the record for scoring the most runs in a single over of a Test innings for India, scoring 26 runs. This century was his first century in international cricket.
T20I
Hardik Pandya was given a chance in the T20I format in 2016 against Australia at The Adelaide Oval. In his T20I career, he has played 67 T20I matches and scored 834 runs at an average of 23.17 and a strike rate of 144.04 in the 48 innings of those matches. He also has taken 50 wickets in the 58 innings he has given to the bowl. He got those wickets at an average of 27.8 and a strike rate of 8.28.
ODI
He got to play ODI cricket v New Zealand at The Himachal Pradesh Association Cricket Stadium Village in 2016. He has been given a chance to represent India in 66 ODI matches until now, and he has managed to score 1386 runs at an average of 33.8 and with a strike rate of 115.6 in the 48 innings he has batted. He also bagged 63 wickets in the 61 innings at an average of 38.7, with an economy rate of 5.56.
Test
He played his first Test match on the tour against Sri Lanka in 2017 at Galle International Stadium. In the 18 innings of the 11 games he has played for India, he compiled 532 runs at an average of 31.29. He also has one century to his name. He also has taken 17 wickets at an average of 31.06. He also has a fifer to his name.
Hardik Pandya Controversies
On January 19, Hardik Pandya appeared with teammate K. L. Rahul on Koffee with Karan, making several controversial comments. In the interview, Pandya described how he proudly informed his parents about his first sexual encounter, which they accepted well.
His statement went on to liken himself to a black person, saying, “I’m a little from the black side, so I want to see how they move,” and he said he enjoyed “observing how women move” at high-end bars and nightclubs, as well as on social media.
He apologized for his remarks by saying he was carried away by the show’s nature and categorized them as indecent, derogatory, misogynistic, and disgraceful. Pandya said he had gotten carried away by his remarks.
In response to the controversy, the BCCI said, “We’ll consider whether players should appear on shows like these that have nothing to do with cricket at all.” The BCCI found the comments very crass, sexist, and cringe-worthy and did not seem impressed by the apology, seeking appropriate legal action as it was a breach of conduct.
During the current Australian and New Zealand tour, Pandya and Rahul were suspended until there was a pending investigation. Additionally, Gillette stopped the brand association with Pandya for its Mach3 razor on 13 January 2019. January 13 announced on 24 January 2019, January 24ting, the suspension of Pandya and Rahul, that Pandya would rejoin the squad for the New Zealand matches.
