Hardik Himanshu Pandya has been playing for Baroda cricket team since 2013. He is an all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm medium-fast and is an Indian international cricket player. Pandya is comparatively new to the Indian team and has already played some excellent knocks with the bat in One Day Internationals.
Early Life of Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya was born on 11th October 1993 in Surat, Gujarat. His father Himanshu Pandya is a small car finance businessman. They shifted to Vadodara when Hardik was five, in order to help his sons with better cricket training facilities. He is the younger brother of Krunal Pandya. His father enrolled his two sons (Hardik and Krunal) into Kiran More`s cricket academy in Vadodara. Pandya family lived in a rented apartment in Gorwa. Hardik studied at the MK High School till ninth grade before dropping out to focus on cricket.
Career of Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya has been playing for Baroda cricket team since 2013. In the 2015 season of the Indian Premier League, he scored a rapid fire 21 runs off 8 balls and grabbed three significant catches to help Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings. Within one year he was chosen to play in the Indian squadron during 2016 Asia Cup and 2016 ICC World Twenty20. Later on against Kolkata Knight Riders, he scored a quick fire 61of 31 balls and was also awarded the `Yes Bank maximum sixes award` for the same match. In January 2016, he knocked eight sixes throughout his innings of winning 86 to direct Baroda cricket team to a win over Vidarbha cricket team in the "Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy".
He made his One Day International debut against New Zealand on 16th October 2016 at Dharamshala. He became the fourth Indian to be named player of the match on One Day International debut after Sandeep Patil, Mohit Sharma and K. L. Rahul. Reaching his half-century in 32 deliveries, he broke Adam Gilchrist`s record for the fastest to get there in any International Cricket Council contest. He was included in India`s Test group as a batsman against England in late 2016, but was in the end left out after he injured himself. He was named in the toured Sri Lanka squad in July 2017 and played his first Test on 26th July in Galle. He scored his maiden Test century against Sri Lanka at Pallekele.
In the 2018 Indian Premier League Player Auction, he was retained by the Mumbai Indians for Rs. 11 Crores. He made his Twenty20 International debut for India on 27th January 2016 at the age of 22 and picked up 2 wickets against Australia. In the second Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka at Ranchi, he came ahead of Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni and hit 27 off 14 balls. Pandya smashed an 18-ball 31 in Asia Cup 2016 and later on, he also picked up a wicket to secure the win. In a 2016 World Twenty20 match against Bangladesh, Pandya took two decisive wickets in the last three balls of match`s final over as India beat Bangladesh by one run.
Cricket Statistics of Hardik Pandya
Test centuries of Hardik Pandya:
| Test centuries | Runs | Against | Match |
| 1 | 108 | Sri Lanka | 3 |
