Hardik Pandya reveals his favourite cricketer while growing up

Hardik Pandya had a fruitful season with the Gujarat team in the Indian T20 League 2022. Under his leadership, the league debutants won their first title by beating Rajasthan in the final by seven runs. The all-rounder showed great sensibility throughout the season and performed admirably.

Following an impressive season in the Indian T20 League 2022, he also earned a comeback to the Indian white-ball team. He has been selected to play in the five-match T20I series against South Africa, starting on the 9th of June.

The 28-year-old recently made named his favourite cricketer while growing up, admitting that he ranks him higher than some of the game's giants.

Wasim Jaffer, a former India opening batsman and a legend of Indian domestic cricket, is Hardik's choice. He mentioned how much he enjoyed seeing him bat. Jaffer scored 1944 runs in 31 Test matches for India between 2000 and 2008. In the domestic circuit, he was a prolific batter, accumulating 19,410 runs in 260 first-class matches for Mumbai.

"I liked Jacques Kallis, Virat, Sachin sir. There are so many greats that you can’t pick. My favourite cricketer was actually Wasim Jaffer. I used to love watching him bat. Someone I always placed him above other legends. Somehow, I used to copy his batting, but I was never able to get his class," Pandya said on the SGTV Podcast.

Hardik on his bond with Krunal Pandya

Hardik also shed light on his relationship with Krunal Pandya, saying that he and his brother are each other's backbones. He stated that if he had been told six years ago that both of them would go on to play for India, he would have accepted it. He went on to say that because their roles were always distinct, the two never had a sibling rivalry.

"Krunal and I are each other’s backbone. We talk cricket, life and a lot of things. If you would have asked me six years before that both you brothers would play for India together, I would take it. Krunal and I were completely different cricketers. We never had a rivalry because our roles were always different," he said