It was early February 2022, and Hardik Pandya was already up and running for the day by 5:30 am. He was all set to go out and train—part of a rigorous daily routine building up to the IPL. Pandya, by his own admission, needed a break after the 2021 T20 World Cup to recalibrate. His not bowling had become a major controversy, and to a degree, he had to shoulder the blame for India’s failure to progress past the group stages of the tournament in Dubai. He needed to redeem himself and set the record straight. He had to make the IPL platform count.
As captain of the newly formed Gujarat Titans, he had the opportunity to make a telling statement: to prove himself as India’s go-to all-rounder in white-ball cricket and regain the finisher’s spot in the national setup. Needless to say, he did so in style in the IPL. From leading the Titans to the finals to playing multiple impactful innings and bowling at 140 km/h, Pandya was the star of IPL 2022.
Since then, he hasn’t looked back as a player. Injury setbacks notwithstanding, Hardik is India’s most valuable player in the shortest format of the game. This was evident yet again in Cuttack, and India will need to manage him well in the build-up to the T20 World Cup to ensure there are no further injury concerns going into the competition.
Hardik, who has faced controversy time and again, knows that performance is the only way to silence critics. He did superbly for India in the 2024 T20 World Cup and virtually won the game in Cuttack through his individual brilliance.
Like every other human being, Pandya has made mistakes in the past. For a 27 or 28-year-old, dealing with sudden stardom isn’t easy. Money, glamour, and fame aren’t easy companions, and many are not prepared to handle them all. Hardik is a classic example. All of a sudden, he had it all. Over the last few years, he has become a multimillionaire, with millions looking up to him as a role model. He is the perfect underdog story—rags to riches.
People seek him out for autographs, want to pose for pictures with him, and long to share the same social space. He is an Indian national team cricketer—rightly, one in a billion. It is a heady world with its downsides. You tend to overlook the responsibilities that come with it; you can get swept away by the gloss and feel as if you can get away with anything.
The present Pandya is a more mature version of what we have seen before. There is no longer the impulsiveness of the past or the exuberance of youth. There is a certain calm, which means no more sensational comments on TV shows or at press conferences. He knows what his goal is and why he is doing what he is doing. That’s the Hardik India needs in the World Cup—and the one who won the game in Cuttack.
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