Hardik Pandya, who plays his domestic cricket for Baroda, first caught the eye with an unbeaten 31-ball 61 for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2015 IPL. That began a long association with Mumbai, where he won four trophies and gained acclaim as a formidable finisher. By the end of the 2022 T20 World Cup, he had come to be seen as a future India captain, thanks to the leadership skills he showed that year in turning an unfancied Gujarat Titans line-up into IPL champions in their first year of existence.
Hardik began his India career in 2016 when he was called up for a limited-overs tour to Australia, before impressing with the ball on seamer-friendly pitches in Bangladesh at the Asia Cup. He appeared to be the answer to India’s search for a seam-bowling allrounder, and with his sprightly fielding added to the mix, he sealed his spot in India’s squad for that year’s T20 World Cup.
While Hardik batted only twice in the tournament, he bowled the last over against Bangladesh, defending two runs off three balls to help India to a one-run win. A little more than a week after that, Pandya endured the disappointment of bowling a no-ball to reprieve Lendl Simmons, whose unbeaten innings helped eventual champions West Indies clinch the semi-final.
Since then, it has not been all smooth sailing. The impact of a serious back injury in 2018 continues to follow Hardik, sometimes limiting him from being able to bowl. And early in 2019, he was embroiled in controversy when he made misogynistic and racist remarks on a talk show, for which he was pulled up by the Indian board.
In the 2020s, Hardik grew into his role as a senior player and won praise for his faith in players as a captain and for being a free-thinker. In 2022, after India beat Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, he said he wouldn’t have minded losing because the match was so much fun – sentiments he echoed after the 2023 IPL final, where he was all praise for rival captain MS Dhoni, whose Chennai Super Kings beat Gujarat Titans for the title. That year, like in the one before, Hardik turned in an impressive all-round and captaincy performance, making 346 runs and taking nine wickets in Gujarat Titans’ run to their second final in a row.
Hardik Pandya Biography
| Full name | Hardik Himanshu Pandya |
| Nick Name | Harry |
| Date of Birth/DOB/ age | Oct 11, 1993 (30 years) |
| Birth Place | Choryasi, Gujarat |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Libra |
| Profession | Cricketer (All-rounder) |
| Country | India |
| Cricket Role | Allrounder |
| Father name | Himanshu Pandya (Businessman; died of cardiac arrest on 16 January 2021) |
| Mother name | Nalini Pandya |
| Siblings | Brother– Krunal Pandya (Elder; Cricketer) |
| Married | Married – 14 February 2023 |
| Spouse or Girlfriend | Natasa Stankovic (Serbian actress and model) |
| Children | Son– Agastya (born in July 2020) |
| Education Qualification | 9th standard |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Current Residence | A 6,000-square feet penthouse in an apartment, Diwalipura area, Vadodara |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Batting Style | Right hand Bat |
| Bowling Style | Right arm Medium fast |
| Domestic Cricket debut | Baroda, Mumbai Indians, Indian Board Presidents XI |
| International Debut | ODI– 16 October 2016 against New Zealand at Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India Test– 26 July 2017 against Sri Lanka at Galle, Sri Lanka T20I– 26 January 2016 against Australia at Adelaide, Australia |
| Teams | India, Baroda, Mumbai Indians, India A, India AT20, Indian Board Presidents XI, World XI, Gujarat Titans, Indians |
Hardik Pandya Physical Statistics
| Height | in centimeters– 183 cm in meters– 1.83 m in feet inches– 6’ 0” |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements (approx.) | |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
Hardik Pandya Profile
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. A deep voice to go with the confidence and energy, and showing no sign of playing it safe, Pandya is the modern icon of audacity in the Indian side. Having gone through the hard grind of domestic cricket, Pandya shot to fame when he was picked up by an IPL franchise – a license to make his talent well-known on the big stage.
As several youngsters do in the modern era, Pandya announced himself to the world during the IPL, portraying his swashbuckling ability to strike the ball, outstanding fielding, and some street-smart bowling that transcends the cliché ‘just rolls his arm over’. He made the world sit up when he soaked in the pressure and came good in crunch situations, playing a pivotal role in the Mumbai franchise’s second title triumph, and winning two Man of the Match awards on his way. The Indian public and critics, who never fail to make comparisons, immediately had the inevitable question at the tip of their tongue: Had India found their first fast-bowling all-rounder since Kapil Dev?
Despite being predominantly noted for his explosive batting, Pandya is no slouch with the ball. In fact, it was his all-round skills that caught the attention of the T20 franchises during the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament culminating a national contract. Pandya’s merit was duly rewarded when he was named in India’s ODI squad for the home series against New Zealand in 2016. By this time, he had worked on his swing bowling skills, and was hitting the 140s regularly, troubling the batsmen with his nagging length. In fact, having been a part of the 2016 World T20, Pandya defended an equation reading ‘2 to win off 3’ against Bangladesh, bowling back of a length and short on a slow-ish wicket, and keeping India alive in the tournament as a result.
Pandya is relatively new to the Indian team and has already played some excellent knocks with the bat in ODIs, sealing off some tight run-chases and scoring quick runs when required. With the ability to surge when required and target a particular bowler, he has pulled off 20-run overs in pressure situations and remains a vital cog in the ODI fold. With an ageing MS Dhoni shifting into a sheet anchor mode rather than his usual swashbuckling mode, Pandya is a crucial factor in the team and can form a vital pairing with Dhoni, by batting around his stability as his apprentice to finish off games. His technique though, however useful in ODIs, isn’t the best for non-true wickets, and if he chooses the path of Test cricket, he needs to make himself more compact and solid in terms of batting fundamentals. His bowling has taken giant strides, as he has perfected the art of swing and has figured out the optimal trajectory for his speed as well to impart maximum lateral movement on the ball.
Regardless of whether Pandya is India’s next Kapil Dev, he certainly beings a much-needed balance to the side. If he remains grounded in the midst of all the glamour, and shapes his game under the able guidance of his seniors and coaches, he is destined for greatness. As of right now, it will be fascinating to watch the exuberance of blending with the maturity that comes with experience as the nation looks up at this charismatic young talent in its quest for those elusive overseas wins.
After a grueling 2018, Pandya has come out a more mature cricketer, starting from his happy-go-lucky 93 in Cape Town, to his 5-for and half-century in India’s only win in the Test series against England. Pandya’s bowling, particularly in Tests, has come a long way, with his extra bounce from a back of a length, and particularly his ability to swing the ball away from the right-hander. Despite not bowling the best deliveries at times, he does seem to have an uncanny knack of dismissing set batsmen, perhaps even established batsmen. His batting, although extremely aggressive, still needs a lot of work as he continues to exhibit a single-dimensional, all-out attack mode to his batting – an approach that has often failed in more bowler-friendly conditions.
After a mixed year of glory and heartbreak, Pandya was hampered by a severe back injury during the Asia Cup in 2018 which ruled him out of the tour of Australia. To make things worse, he received a lot of flak when an episode of a talk show aired in India, in which Pandya, along with Rahul, were called out for their misogynistic comments about women, and were suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for poor conduct and tarnishing the image of Indian cricket. The ban has been lifted since the incident. Pandya, however, returned to the side after a lot of internal conflict in the board, for the ODI series against New Zealand and performed admirably, particularly with the ball and in the field. He remains a vital cog in India’s 2019 World Cup plans, providing a much-needed balance in the side, as India finally manage to get their hands on a fast-bowling all-rounder for the first time since the Great Kapil Dev.
Hardik Pandya Career Stats
Batting Career Summary
| M | Inn | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100 | 200 | 50 | 4s | 6s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 11 | 18 | 1 | 532 | 108 | 31.29 | 720 | 73.89 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 68 | 12 |
| ODI | 86 | 61 | 9 | 1769 | 92 | 34.02 | 1603 | 110.36 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 132 | 67 |
| T20I | 92 | 71 | 18 | 1348 | 71 | 25.43 | 964 | 139.83 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 96 | 69 |
| IPL | 123 | 115 | 39 | 2309 | 91 | 30.38 | 1583 | 145.86 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 172 | 125 |
Bowling Career Summary
| M | Inn | B | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Econ | Avg | SR | 5W | 10W | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 11 | 19 | 937 | 528 | 17 | 5/28 | 6/50 | 3.38 | 31.06 | 55.12 | 1 | 0 |
| ODI | 86 | 80 | 3199 | 2960 | 84 | 4/24 | 4/24 | 5.55 | 35.24 | 38.08 | 0 | 0 |
| T20I | 92 | 81 | 1433 | 1950 | 73 | 4/16 | 4/16 | 8.16 | 26.71 | 19.63 | 0 | 0 |
| IPL | 123 | 81 | 1202 | 1763 | 53 | 3/17 | 3/17 | 8.8 | 33.26 | 22.68 | 0 | 0 |
Hardik Pandya IPL Auction Price History
| Year | Price | Team |
| 2018 | 11.00 Cr | Mumbai |
| 2019 | 11.00 Cr | Mumbai |
| 2020 | 11.00 Cr | Mumbai |
| 2021 | 11.00 Cr | Mumbai |
| 2022 | 15.00 Cr | Gujarat |
| 2023 | 15.00 Cr | Gujarat |
| 2024 | 15.00 Cr | Mumbai |
Hardik Pandya’s Social Media Accounts
| Hardik Himanshu Pandya (@hardikpandya93) | |
| hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) | |
| Hardik Pandya | |
| Wikipedia | Hardik Pandya |
Some Lesser-Known Facts About Hardik Pandya
- Does Hardik Pandya smoke?: Yes
- Does Hardik Pandya drink alcohol?: Yes
- Hardik Pandya hails from a modest family background. Hardik Pandya’s childhood picture with his father Himanshu Pandya
- His father is an ardent lover of cricket. During his childhood, his father took him to watch matches in Baroda, after which, he started taking an interest in cricket.
- When he was five years old, his family moved from Choryasi, Surat to Gorwa, Baroda and enrolled him in Kiran More International Academy in Baroda, along with his brother, Krunal Pandya, who was seven years old at that time.
- His family lived on lease in Gorwa because of financial issues. They had a second-hand car to travel to the cricket ground.
- Hardik Pandya faced lots of difficulties in his teenage days. His father suffered thrice from a heart attack due to which his father had to quit his job. Hardik Pandya with his father Himanshu Pandya
- He dropped out of school after ninth standard and started focusing on his cricket career.
- Earlier, he used to play as a leg spinner. In one of the local league matches in Baroda, his team was short of one fast bowler. The former Indian cricketer, Kiran More told him to play as a fast bowler and he accepted this task immediately. He surprised everyone with his performance by picking seven wickets in that match. He, then, switched his bowling from leg spinner to medium pacer.
- Kiran More helped him a lot by not charging any fee from him for the first three years in his academy.
- In one of his interviews with the Indian Express, Hardik said that he was removed from his state-age group teams because of his attitude problems. He also said he was just an expressive child who did not like to hide his emotions.
- He made his T20 debut in 2013 for Baroda against Mumbai. The match was held at Ahmedabad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
- In 2015, John Wright saw great potential in him, so, he selected Pandya in the Mumbai Indians (MI) IPL team at a base price of Rs 10 lakhs.
- In 2016, he was selected to play for the Indian cricket team. He played his first International T20 match against Australia in Adelaide, Australia.
- In 2018, Mumbai Indians bought him at a whopping price of Rs 1 Crore at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction.
- Hardik Pandya’s favourite tattoo which he has on his body is ‘Time is Money’ on his arm.
- He is a close friend of Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan.Hardik Pandya with Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan
- He is often called “West Indian guy from Baroda,” due to his West Indian characteristic and behaviour.
- His best cricketing memory is the last over of India against Bangladesh in the 2016 ICC World T20 when Bangladesh needed only 2 runs in 3 balls.
- His teammates fondly call him, Rockstar.
- Hardik Pandya likes to play against Australia.
- He has been featured on the cover of various magazines like Maxim India and The Man. Hardik Pandya on the ‘Maxim India’ magazine cover
- He used to have a crush on Deepika Padukone.
- Hardik Pandya is an avid dog lover. Hardik Pandya loves dogs
- On 1 January 2020, Hardik announced his engagement with the Serbian actress and model, Natasa Stankovic, through his Instagram account.
