Hardik Pandya: Career with Mumbai Indians and team India so far

According to former West Indies cricketer Daren Ganga, Hardik Pandya is a modern, fearless cricketer. Pandya has always delivered when it comes to an all-round performance. A big hitter, and a good bowler, Hardik Pandya ticks all the boxes that a team wants from an all-rounder. Pandya grabbed everyone’s attention when he scored an unbeaten 61 in 31 balls while playing for Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders at the 2015 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).

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Hardik Pandya: Mumbai Indians' hero

After his impressive debut, Hardik Pandya was retained by the Mumbai Indians for ₹11 Crore in the 2018 IPL Player Auction. However, that season, his bowling was more impressive than his batting. In 2019, Pandya turned the table as he displayed excellent batting skills. In 16 matches, Pandya made 402 runs which included 28 fours and 29 sixes, he also took 14 wickets that season. With a strike rate of over 170, Hardik was the super striker of Mumbai Indians after Andre Russell. His batting skills were in full display when Mumbai Indians went up against Kolkata Knight Riders, where Pandya smashed a quick 91 in just 34 balls.   

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Hardik Pandya: Full career overview

Pandya’s career took a turn after his performance at the Syed Mushtaq Ali domestic T20 tournament in January 2016, where he scored 377 runs in 10 innings. He was then called to play for India at the limited-overs tour against Australia. After that, the door for the Indian team opened for Pandya. He was impressive with bowling at the Asia Cup against Bangladesh which secured his position in India's 2016 World T20 squad. Though he didn't get too many chances to bat at the tournament, he delivered fully when it came to bowling. 

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However, 2016 was not Hardik Pandya's year, while playing against West Indies, he gave away a lot of runs, resulting in India's defeat. In 2017, Hardik redeemed himself by smashing 76 runs in 43 balls against Pakistan at a Champions Trophy group stage match. In 2018, Pandya scored 93 runs against South Africa and earned a lot of praise. In 2019, Hardik was banned by BCCI for his comments on a TV show and made a comeback with a point to prove. The Indian all-rounder once again showed his incredible batting skills in the 2019 edition of the IPL and was one of the reasons behind Mumbai’s fourth title win. Pandya was a part of India’s 2019 Cricket World Cup squad and had a decent outing. He recently cemented his position in the Indian squad for the South Africa T20I matches. 

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