I was very blessed and lucky to play under Mahi bhai: Hardik Pandya

The all-rounder Hardik Pandya made it to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 when Mumbai Indians (MI) talent scout John Wright spotted him during a domestic game for the Baroda team. 

Pandya amassed 112 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 180.64. In this pursuit, he delivered a 31-ball 61 knock against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and hogged the limelight of the cricket fraternity. He had displayed the ability to bowl at a brisk pace as well. 

Pandya was included in the India-A side, with the Indian team having an absence of a fast-bowling all-rounder. 

Soon, the all-rounder made his T20I debut against Australia in January 2016. He had an average game, wherein he finished with figures of 3/37 in three overs. In the first over of his international career, Pandya went for 21 runs. However, the captain MS Dhoni backed him, and he gave 16 runs and took two wickets in the next two overs. 

In a recent interaction, Pandya recalled his debut game and said it was a big thing for him to share the dressing room with the cricketers he idolized in his younger days. 

"When I joined the Indian team, I saw guys whom I had seen growing up – Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Ashish Nehra. Even before I played for India, they were the stars. For me, when I went there, it was a big thing," Hardik told SGTV podcast.

The 28-year-old all-rounder felt really blessed to play under Dhoni, who trusted him and helped shape his international career. 

"So obviously the kind of debut I had – I think I am the first cricketer who had gone for 21 runs in his first over – I genuinely felt that ok, this might be my last over. But I was very blessed and lucky to play under Mahi Bhai, who showed a lot of trust in us, which has helped us reach where we did," 

In his first three T20I appearances in Australia, Pandya could not get an opportunity with the bat but picked up three wickets at an economy of 11.14. 

Surprisingly, Dhoni assured Pandya of his selection in the Indian team for the 2016 edition of the T20 World Cup. He picked up five wickets in five matches and bowled the crucial final over against Bangladesh to win the match for the team. 

"Just after the third game of my international career, Mahi Bhai told me you will be the World Cup team. So for me, to play World Cup or to get to know that in the third game, I just got to know about this. I did not even bat in that game, but he assured me that you had expressed yourself. So yeah, it was just a dream come true," concluded Hardik. 

Six years later, Pandya is a crucial player for the Indian team as they prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup. After recovering from injury concerns, he has made his comeback and led Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title. In 15 matches, he amassed 487 runs and scalped eight wickets.