HARDIK PANDYA
EARLY LIFE :
Hardik Pandya was born on October 11, 1993, in Surat, Gujarat.
Hardik Pandya’s parents are Himanshu Pandya and Nalini Pandya. International cricket player Krunal Pandya, his older brother, is also a cricketer. When Hardik was five years old, his father, Himanshu Pandya, closed his small car finance company in Surat and relocated to Vadodara to give his sons better cricket training facilities. He enrolled his two sons in the cricket academy run by Kiran More in Vadodara. Due to a lack of funds, the Pandya family lived in a rented apartment in Gorwa, and the brothers commuted to the cricket field in a used car. Hardik attended MK High School until the ninth grade, when he quit concentrating on cricket.
In club cricket, Hardik ‘won many matches single-handedly,’ according to Krunal, and made steady progress in junior-level cricket. Hardik explained that his ‘attitude problems’ led to his removal from his state age-group teams in an interview with the Indian Express. He went on to say that he was ‘just an expressive child’ and that he did not ‘like to hide his emotions.’ Hardik’s father claims that up until he was 18, he bowled as a leg spinner before switching to fast bowling at the insistence of Baroda coach Sanath Kumar.
CAREER :
Hardik Himanshu Pandya is an Indian international cricketer who plays for Baroda and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Hardik Pandya currently serves as captain of the Gujarat Titans, a newly established team in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler. Krunal Pandya, his elder brother, is also an international cricketer. At 22, Pandya made his Twenty20 International debut for India against Australia on January 27, 2016. Chris Lynn was his first Twenty20 International wicket. Hardik Pandya insists on living life to the fullest, and this enthusiasm is evident in his quick-seam bowling and middle-order power hitting. In IPL 2015, he first gained attention with an unbeaten 31-ball 61 for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders, but in the Syed Mushtaq Ali domestic T20 tournament in January 2016, he showed more consistency. He finished as Baroda’s top scorer with 377 runs in 10 innings and an average of 53.85.
In addition to taking ten wickets, Hardik Pandya helped Baroda advance to the championship game. He was then selected for India’s limited-overs tour of Australia, where he made his debut for his country. Then he made a strong impression with the ball on Bangladesh’s seamer-friendly fields during the Asia Cup. Pandya was the all-around seam bowler India had been looking for, and by complementing his primary skill sets with brisk fielding, he earned a spot in the 2016 World T20 squad. Hardik Pandya only batted twice during the competition, but he did much more with the ball. In the final over, he bowled against Bangladesh; he held Bangladesh to two runs off three balls, giving India a one-run victory. Lendl Simmons’ unbeaten innings helped the West Indies win the semi-final more than a week after Pandya’s heroics. As a result, Pandya suffered the disappointment of bowling a no-ball to give Simmons a reprieve. International cricket player Krunal Pandya, his older brother, is also a cricketer.
Since 2013, Pandya has competed for the Baroda cricket team. He was a key contributor to Baroda’s 2013–14 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy victory. He scored 86 runs not out during his innings in January 2016 to lead the Baroda cricket team to a six-wicket win over the Vidarbha cricket team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match. He hit eight sixes during that period. From 2015 to 2021, Pandya was a member of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. In a must-win situation for the Mumbai Indians to stay in the playoff race, he scored 61 runs off 31 balls to win the match for his team, earning him his second man of the match award. The Mumbai Indians released Pandya ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. The Gujarat Titans, a new Ahmedabad franchise, drafted him and named him captain. He captained Gujarat to their first IPL title in 2022, becoming only the second captain after Shane Warne to do so.
Hardik Pandya is a capable fielder despite being primarily known for his explosive batting. His all-around abilities made the T20 franchises notice him during the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament, leading to a national contract. When Pandya was selected for India’s ODI squad for the home series against New Zealand in 2016, his merits were duly recognized. He had been practicing swing bowling by this point and was regularly hitting the 140s, troubling the batters with his nagging length. Pandya, who participated in the 2016 World T20, defended an equation that read ‘2 to win off 3’ against Bangladesh by bowling back of a length and short on a reasonably slow wicket and preserving India’s chances of winning.
PERSONAL LIFE :
The first alleged affair of Hardik involved the model Lisha Sharma from Kolkata. The most discussed relationship was that between Hardik and Elli Avram. There were rumors that they had begun dating and had even gone to photo shoots together. Shortly after the cricketer broke up with Elli Avram, rumors started circulating that love had blossomed between Esha and Hardik. They kept their meeting at a party a secret.
Hardik and Natasa first met in a Mumbai nightclub, and according to Hardik Pandya, it was love at first sight. They got along great and soon began to party frequently. Natasa is a favorite of Pandya’s friends and accompanied Hardik to a few of his cricket parties. The very in-love couple got married in Dubai while traveling by speedboat. Everything felt very cinematic and passionate, with romantic Bollywood songs playing in the background.
Hardik Pandya discussed his engagement during a live interview with cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle. He said, ‘My parents also weren’t aware I was getting engaged. I informed Krunal two days before (the engagement). I said, ‘I’ve had enough,’ to him. I have a person in my life that I love, and I am improving.’ Family members supported me and said, ‘Do whatever you want.’ The couple surprised us again by sharing their wedding news on social media.
Hardik Pandya posted pictures of Natasa showing signs of pregnancy and another image showing the couple engaging in wedding rituals.ns. On January 1, 2020, Pandya announced her engagement to Natasa Stankovic, an Indian-based Serbian dancer, and actress. Agastya Pandya, their first child, was born on July 30.
