India’s star player Hardik Pandya is hailed as one of the finest all-rounders in the world right now. Though he has been playing international cricket for the last six years but today he has emerged as one of the key players of the Indian cricket team. He recently made the greatest comeback ever in the world of cricket, after he bounced back into the form and led Gujarat Titans to the title win in the IPL 2022 and followed by his return to the national set-up. He is currently in the best form of his life and is expected to play a big role in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20I World Cup 2022.
Today, in this article, we will discuss about Hardik Pandya’s jersey number and why he changed it from number 288 to 33. For the unversed, Hardik Pandya used to wear the jersey number 288 in limited-overs cricket however, not many were aware of the reason behind this number until Mohandas Mennon spilled the beans. Well, in 2020, statistician Mohandas Menon revealed the reason behind Pandya’s number of choice for jersey.
Captaining the Baroda U-16 team, Hardik Pandya had played a stunning knock of 228 runs against Mumbai Under-16 during a Vijay Merchant Under-16 tournament match at the Reliance Cricket Stadium in Nagothane on December 9, 2009. It has to be noted that 228 is still the highest individual score of his career and it is also the double century he has hit so far in his career.
Playing a stunning knock of 228 off 391 balls, Pandya had led his side from the front after they were reeling at 60 for 4. This knock made him famous overnight, with his pictures being published in the local newspaper the next morning. Pandya’s coach Jitendra revealed in an interview, he said:
“That was his first season and that was the start of his journey. Later, he made it to the U-19 side and the transformation was smooth,”
He added: “In that match, he took five wickets in the first innings. That’s how, his journey as an all-rounder began,”
Well, Pandya no longer wears the 228 number jersey and he now dons No. 33 on his jersey since 2016.
The reason behind jersey number 33:
Though the proper reason behind Hardik choosing the number 33 for his jersey isn’t clear, but it is believed that it holds some Numerology theory. Number 33 if digits are added turns out to be 6, and number 6 has a great significance in Indian cricket as per numerology experts. “Number 6 is very lucky for India. India with the date of independence August 15 ruled by 1+5=6 and name number 3 are always lucky for Team India. Whether it’s the calendar year or the date of the match, if the total is 6 or 3, India is seen to have an advantage.”
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the new T20 jersey for the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams. The BCCI via their official social media account shared the picture of India’s new jersey. Sharing the picture, the BCCI wrote:
“To every cricket fan out there, this one’s for you. Presenting the all new T20 Jersey – One Blue Jersey by @mpl_sport. #HarFanKiJersey #TeamIndia #MPLSports #CricketFandom”
Check out the Tweet:
To every cricket fan out there, this one’s for you.
Presenting the all new T20 Jersey – One Blue Jersey by @mpl_sport. #HarFanKiJersey#TeamIndia #MPLSports #CricketFandom pic.twitter.com/3VVro2TgTT
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 18, 2022
India Squad for T20 World Cup 2022:
Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, R Pant (WK), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Y Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, B Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh
Standby players – Mohd. Shami, Shreyas Iyer, Ravi Bishnoi, Deepak Chahar
