Hardik Pandya Born in Which State

Hardik Pandya was born in Surat, Gujarat, on October 11, 1993, in a supportive family. His father Himanshu Pandya moved to Vadodara shutting his small car financing business to provide his two sons with proper cricket facilities.

A tall height with an athletic build, Hardik Pandya always preferred cricket over everything and decided to drop out of school after the ninth grade to focus on cricket. It worked well for the younger of the Pandya brothers as he was seen winning many matches single-handedly in junior-level cricket.

Interestingly, Hardik Pandya was a leg spinner until 18, before Baroda coach Sanath Kumar transformed him into a fast bowler. Hardik caught eyeballs with his impressive displays for Baroda that helped the side win the Syde Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the 2013-14 season.

Hardik Pandya IPL Debut

Hardik Pandya would play a crucial role in helping Baroda win the 2016 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but by that time he was already a sensation in the Indian Premier League while playing for the Mumbai Indians.

Hardik Pandya was bought by Mumbai Indians as an uncapped player in 2015 for Rs 10 lakhs. Pandya’s claim to fame came in IPL 2015. Playing for Mumbai Indianshis blistering 31-ball-61 knock against Kolkata Knight Riders made him a household name in the cricket-crazy nation. While Pandya played just nine games that season, he became a permanent part of the starting eleven from the next season for Mumbai Indians.

Mumbai Indians bought Hardik Pandya for 11 crore INR in the 2018 IPL auction. His best season with the Mumbai Indians came in IPL 2019 when Pandya amassed 402 runs at a strike rate of 191.42, living up to the label of India’s new finisher as MS India’s career was at the fag end. Pandya would eventually be picked up by Gujarat Titans (GT) for 15 crore INR as their captain ahead of the 2022 mega-auction as he left Mumbai Indians with four trophies.

Pandya would then win the IPL trophy for the fifth time in his very maiden season as GT captain, having his best IPL session tallying 478 runs. Pandya ended the 2023 IPL season as the runners-up after losing the final to Chennai Super Kings. 

In total, Pandya has tallied 2309 runs in 123 IPL matches at a strike rate of 145.86, which has 10 fifties - an impressive stat from a middle-order batsman.

In the latest developments, Pandya was bought by Mumbai Indians again ahead of IPL 2024 from Gujarat Titans, as the all-rounder leads the Indian national cricket team in the T20 format.  

Hardik Pandya: International Debut

The year 2016 proved to be a big year for Hardik as he received an international call-up during India’s tour of Australia, although he didn’t get to bat in that T20I series. Pandyam, however, cemented his place in the starting eleven with impressive displays with the ball in Bangladesh’s seam-friendly pitches during the 2016 Asia Cup.

A fast-bowling all-rounder was exactly what India was looking for and Pandya’s potential was further accentuated during the 2016 T20 World Cup, although India lost in the semi-finals. He was gradually becoming a reliable ODI player as well before his 46-ball-76 against Pakistan in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final earned him worldwide praise.

Managing workload has been an issue for Hardik Pandya though, whose severe back injury in 2018 limited his all-round prowess. However, consistent performances in the IPL kept him in the Indian side regularly before a dip in form eventually saw him being taken out of the international side in 2022.

Hardik Pandya’s hard-hitting abilities made him a suitable lower middle-order batsman in red-ball cricket and he was included in India’s Test squad against England in 2016 before the player had to opt out with an injury.  

Pandya finally made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in July 2017 and brought up his maiden Test century in the third and final Test match of the series. He also holds the record for being the first Indian batsman to score a Test ton before lunch. However, Pandya’s last Test was against England in 2018 as the all-rounder found it taxing to manage his workload in the longest format.  

However, Pandya has since made a comeback and when in form, his seam bowling coupled with exceptional power hitting from the word go cannot be replaced. He forged a crucial partnership alongside Virat Kohli during India’s 2022 T20 World against Pakistan in a classic encounter.  

Pandya’s 3/3 against Sri Lanka in 2.2 overs is one of the best bowling figures amongst three-wicket hauls in cricket.
 

Hardik Pandya Captaincy

Hardik Pandya’s ability to take the pressure, after the captain won the IPL with Gujarat Titans in 2022, was appreciated by one and all and the BCCI rewarded him with the T20I captaincy in June 2022.

Pandya has captained India in 16 T20Is so far, mostly as a deputy to Rohit Sharma, but he has a decent win percentage of 62.50. He has captained India in 16 T20Is so far, winning 10 and losing five in the process. Needless to say, Pandya’s leadership has been the best in IPL, where he led in 31 matches and won 22 of them.

Apart from T20Is, Pandya has been slightly tested in the ODI format as well, where he led the team in three games as India ended up winning two of them. Needless to say, Pandya is considered to be the future captain of the Indian team and the upcoming T20 World Cup.