One player who is seemingly getting better day by day is Hardik Pandya. The lean and strong Baroda man is on a high after getting to represent India in Tests and becoming the 289th man to do so after receiving his first cap yesterday. Pandya seems to be repaying the immense faith that Kohli and co. have been placing on him and his performances justify that trust.
Pandya as a person is still a youngster brimming with immense self-confidence that some people may perceive differently. He does like the good life and has a few tattoos and love for the bling but as long as he is performing, no one can say a thing. People must also understand that Pandya has a backstory unlike many other cricketers and was not very well off whilst growing up with his brother in Baroda.
Made from ordinary surroundings:
Hardik was born and bought up in the Gujarati town of Baroda and a lot of people back there are not very surprised by his progress. He was always someone who gave it his all and showed a willingness to succeed.
His own coach and mentor Jitendra Kumar admitted that he has seen Pandya go from strength to strength. He said that Hardik hit a 200 in an under-16 match against Mumbai back in 2008, showing the earliest glimpses of his batting talent.
He also said that Pandya was a wonderful talent who had the complete package and hoped that he would get a sustained run at the top to prove and establish himself. Hardik also revealed that he and Krunal used to get Rs 200 for every match they played.
Change in game play:
When star selector and former Indian team keeper came to know about Hardik , he allowed him to join his academy for free. This was also the time he helped Hardik change his game, from a part-time leg spinner to a full-time pacer.
Kiran More also said that during his early days, he asked Pandya to step in as a pacer when one of the team’s fast bowlers got injured. He took up the challenge and more than just succeeded. Pandya went on to pick up 5 wickets and showed that he had the traits to be a genuine fast-bowling, big-hitting all-rounder.
Also, Jitendra Kumar added that the Baroda coach Sanath Kumar played a role in helping Pandya get drafted into the state’s T20 team and the Mumbai Indians. The stint with the IPL team helped him evolve so much as a player and a person.
Not the smoothest journey:
Even in his playing career, Pandya did not have the best starts. He made just 112 runs in 9 games in domestic cricket and 44 from 11 matches in the 2016 IPL with just 3 wickets. He returned to Baroda and worked doubly hard on his batting and bowling for three weeks. The small changes he made technically seem to have paid off and he has been riding a wave since.
Pandya’s luck changed when he got an unexpected call to represent the India “A” squad after an injury setback to one of the players. During that trip to Australia, he got to interact with one of the finest minds in cricket, Rahul Dravid. After the experience Down Under, it is said that Pandya returned rejuvenated and has not looked back ever since.
This is the journey that helped Pandya become the player that he has today. He has the word “BELIEF” tattooed on his arm and by the looks of it, his belief has already taken him far and he is just getting started.
By Rohit Nair
