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Hardik Pandya emerged onto the scene after his consistent performances for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. The younger of the Pandya brothers represented a rare breed of Indian cricketers who could bat as well as provide a seaming option to the captain. Hardik was thus seen as that perfect pace bowling all-rounder that the Indian team has been looking for for ages.
Hardik debuted for India on 27th January 2016 against Australia just before the T20 World Cup. Pandya on his debut picked up 2 key wickets and helped India win the game. Later on, Pandya was involved in the heroics of the Asia Cup where India pulled a heist against Bangladesh. Since then Hardik has played a crucial role in the Indian team. He was an integral part of the Indian side irrespective of the formats before injury threatened his career.
The Injury
Hardik Pandya started to have some back niggles since the Test series in England (2018) Initially it was termed as a back spasm and Hardik continued with his cricket. The matter got serious when during an Asia Cup game in 2018, Hardik Pandya had to stretch off the field on a stretcher after falling awkwardly on his back while bowling. Hardik Pandya was reported to have a back muscle problem and was ruled out of action for 3 months straight.
Later during a media interaction, Shoaib Akhtar revealed that he had told Hardik that he could get injured. As per his own admission, Akhtar had warned Hardik about his lean body type, especially his lower back muscle. He had then told Hardik to work on his fitness otherwise he can get injured. A similar injury paused Hardik's progress as an all-rounder.
Hardik Pandya: The Batter
After that infamous back injury, Hardik returned to cricket but this time just as a Pure Batsman. Owing to his recurring back problems Hardik was never fit to bowl. He never bowled during that phrase. Hardik continued to be part of the Indian team set-up but only as a batsman. Hardik Pandya during that phase worked on his batting skills and improved himself as a batsman.
Hardik continued to shine for IPL Team Mumbai Indians where they won back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020. But during both the campaigns one hardly saw Hardik bowling or being a genuine all-rounder. Whenever it was asked by Mumbai Indians management why Hardik wasn't Hardik bowling, they replied back saying that it was part of his workload management.
The 2021 T20 World Cup Debacle
Hardik was included in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup in UAE last year. The Indian team performed below expectations in that tournament. They had an embarrassing 10-wicket loss to their arch rivalry Pakistan and then followed with another loss to New Zealand. Hardik in those 2 games failed to make an impact with bat and bowl. Questions were raised over his place in the team.
The Indian team eventually won the last few games against weaker opponents but failed to qualify for the knockout stages. The Indian team was criticised by many experts and fans. Hardik was the centre of that criticism considering his inability to bowl and underwhelming returns with the bat.
The Indefinite Break from Cricket
After the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, Hardik Pandya decided to take a complete break from cricket. He informed the BCCI that he should not be considered for selection for any format for the Indian team.
Hardik went away from the game and worked on his fitness day in and day out.
Hardik said in an interview during the break he used to get up at 5 am to start his day. He further said that he wanted was to regain his fitness and work on the all-around aspect of the game. Hardik was on break from November 2021 to March 2022. Before IPL 2022 Hardik Pandya joined the NCA Camp for his IPL Preparations.
Gujarat Titans and Captaincy
Hardik Pandya was not retained by Mumbai Indians before IPL 2022. He was picked up by the newly introduced Gujarat Titans. Gujarat Titans after picking Hardik immediately named him the captain of the franchise for the 2022 IPL season. After Hardik was named captain many pandits and experts raised their eyebrows over this decision.
Having said that, there was some sort of excitement to see Hardik Pandya the captain. Gujarat faced Lucknow in their first game of IPL 2022 and it was the very first time the world saw Hardik Pandya in action since November 2021. Hardik handled the captaincy pressure very well.
Hardik even started bowling for Gujarat Titans. He bowled the crucial overs either in powerplay or at the back end of the innings. He started picking wickets and promoted himself to no.4 and played some crucial knocks for his team. Hardik's brilliance on the field and his calming influence as captain helped his team to qualify for IPL Knockouts and eventually won their maiden IPL title.
A comeback in its True sense
After winning the IPL title in May, Hardik Pandya was recalled to the Indian team for their series against South Africa. In that series, Hardik again performed excellently with both bat and bowl. Hardik scored 117 runs from 4 inns at a strike rate of 153.94. He averaged a whopping 58.5.
After the South Africa series, Hardik Pandya was named captain for the Ireland series with the second-string Indian squad. Under Hardik Pandya's leadership, India won the series 2-0.
After the Ireland series, there was a much anticipated white-ball series against England. In the white ball series, Hardik Pandya announced his comeback in its true sense. Hardik played a crucial role with both bat and bowl. With Bat in 5 innings (including both T20 and ODI) he scored 163 runs and with the bowling, he was India's second-best bowler after Jasprit Bumrah, picking up 11 wickets in 5 matches with the bowl.
Conclusion
Overall, Hardik Pandya's comeback story has been inspirational in its own unique way. Pandya's story can send the following message to the youngsters: “Never give up and keep working on yourself, success will follow you.”