Hardik Pandya’s rise from Vadodara’s ‘400-500 rupiya’ per tennis-ball match participant to multimillion-dollar expertise

Being Hardik Pandya is not any straightforward feat. Constantly enduring public scrutiny and rebounding stronger every time is a formidable problem.

Hardik’s journey from carefree youth to management in IPL and India’s T20I group has adopted his coach Jitendra Singh’s mantra: “Do what you believe is right, even if it’s not easy.”

During his teenage years, Hardik would hitch rides on vans to get to totally different villages in Gujarat and earn ‘charso-panchso rupiya (Rs 400-500)’ by collaborating in native tennis ball tournaments. The cash he earned from these day-night tournaments helped the Pandya brothers — Hardik and Krunal — buy their cricketing gear.

They lived in a small one-room condo at Parishram Park in Bapu Ni Dargah Gorwa – a middle-class residential space. Despite the monetary struggles, their father Himanshu – a businessman – ensured that each his youngsters had been enrolled in former Indian cricketer Kiran More’s cricket academy on the IPCL sports activities complicated floor, now often known as the Reliance Stadium — three kilometres away from their residence.

Himanshu left his regular enterprise – coping with automobiles and funds – in Surat and relocated to Vadodara, as a result of town had a cricket tradition. “Hardik was just four or five, at the time, but he accompanied his older brother to practice every day. He would stand in one corner of the ground, trying to emulate Krunal,” says More.

From shut quarters: Jitendra Singh, Hardik Pandya’s childhood coach, continues to work carefully with the Indian all-rounder.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI

After just a few days, More invited Hardik to hitch. Every morning, the brothers had been among the many first to reach on the academy. “Hardik spent most of his time on the field and quickly became a centre of attention for his skills,” says Jitendra, who continues to work with Hardik and Krunal as their private coach. “He was a top-order batter and was not afraid of taking on bowlers, who were elder to him. He could bat on for hours.

There were times, when after long sessions, he walked up to me and said, ‘ Sir, thoda aur batting kar na hai’ (I want to bat a little longer).” Hardik was recognized not just for his on-field presence but additionally off-field flamboyance, with a fascination for hair colors and later for luxurious automobiles. “He would sometimes come for training with coloured hair, but we had to discipline him. There were times when I had to scold Hardik and make him realise his mistake,” Jitendra says.

In December 2009, on a cold morning, Hardik scored a double century towards Mumbai in a U-16 Vijay Hazare Trophy match on the Reliance Stadium, serving to Baroda safe a first-innings lead. Hardik batted for over eight hours, crafting 228 runs off 391 balls with 29 fours and a six. It earned him a spot within the U-19 squad for the Cooch Behar Trophy.

Bright begin: Vinit Wadkar, the previous Baroda captain and U-19 coach, seen Hardik Pandya’s indomitable spirit very early in his profession.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI

Vinit Wadkar, the previous Baroda captain and U-19 coach, seen Hardik’s indomitable spirit. “We were playing a U-19 game against Rajasthan in Jaipur and Deepak Chahar dismissed our regular batters, so I decided to send Hardik up the order (at No.4), hoping he would stop the collapse. And he scored 44 in the first innings,” reminisces Wadkar. “Chahar claimed a five-for in the first innings, followed by four in the second essay. But in the second innings, our bowlers did well, and we eventually won the game. But it was Hardik’s mental toughness in the first innings that impressed me.”

Hardik began bowling comparatively late, Initially, he dabbled in leg-spin, however it was coach Sanath Kumar who noticed his potential as a quick bowler. “One afternoon, we had a net session, and all our specialist fast bowlers were tired. So, we needed some pacers to bowl to our lower-order batters, and that’s when Hardik volunteered,” Kumar reminisces.

“I was surprised because all this while, he was a leg-spinner. So, I asked him whether he was serious, and he said, ‘Haan Sir, main kar paunga’ (I can do it, Sir). To my surprise, he bowled quicker than the specialist fast bowlers and had perfect control.”

This was within the 2013-14 season. The following 12 months, in 2015, Hardik was snapped up by the Mumbai Indians within the IPL public sale for a base value of Rs 10 lakh. In 2017, Hardik repaid their religion by scoring 250 runs and taking six wickets. Consequently, MI retained him for a hefty Rs 11 crore within the 2018 IPL public sale.

According to More, his time with MI was pivotal for Hardik’s progress. “That environment, interacting with so many international players and getting to know the owners, made him a different man,” says More.

Bouncing again: Hardik Pandya grappled with the repercussions of a big again harm suffered in 2018, at instances hindering his capacity to bowl. However, he’s again to bowling at full tilt.
| Photo Credit:
Okay.R. DEEPAK

But simply when issues had been beginning to lookup, Hardik was carried off on a stretcher after struggling an “acute lower back injury” whereas bowling throughout the 2018 Asia Cup. It would proceed to bother him for some time.

Moulding Hardik: The Pandya brothers, Hardik and Krunal, had been enrolled in former Indian cricketer Kiran More’s cricket academy on the IPCL sports activities complicated floor, now often known as the Reliance Stadium — in Vadodara at a younger age.
| Photo Credit:
EMMANUAL YOGINI

Hardik then suffered an irreparable loss when his father handed away in January 2021. Then in November, following the T20 World Cup, Hardik confronted a big setback because of a power harm that restricted his bowling talents. Hardik took a break from worldwide cricket to concentrate on his health. “It was a conscious decision as his injury-ravaged body needed a more measured approach,” says Jitendra. Soham Desai, Team India’s lead power and conditioning coach, had mapped out a restoration programme for Hardik. Suresh Kumar, a Chennai-based physiotherapist, labored with Hardik in Mumbai for just a few periods in December.

During Hardik’s prolonged break, Jitendra and More meticulously deliberate a session-by-session routine for his restoration. Initially, the main focus was on power and conditioning, working carefully with a physio to optimise his power, flexibility, and operating load. Yoga periods had been steadily launched, and his workload was fastidiously monitored. Before his title-winning return, with Gujarat Titans, to the IPL in 2022, observe video games in Vadodara had been performed to evaluate his progress. Once everybody was happy along with his restoration, he was given the inexperienced gentle.

“His aim is to win a World Cup for the country. He has worked really hard at the NCA and looks all set to chase his dreams, desh ke liye,” says Jitendra.