Wasim Jaffer was my favourite cricketer, placed him above other legends: Hardik Pandya

Wasim Jaffer is synonymous with class, elegance, and technique, something new-age T20-loving fans cannot relate to. On the other hand, Hardik Pandya's flair with the bat has been loved and lauded in his short career for India and as a player in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Unlike modern-age players who idolize the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis, and MS Dhoni, the all-rounder found Jaffer to be his ideal role model.

Pandya spoke about his admiration for the Ranji legend, whose batting style he wanted to copy during his growing up days.

"Like everyone, I had favourite cricketers. I liked Jacques Kallis, Virat, Sachin sir. There are so many greats that you can't pick. But 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 SG podcast.

For India, Jaffer scored 1944 runs from 31 Tests, including five hundred and 11 fifties. The 44-year-old scored back-to-back double hundreds against West Indies and Pakistan. Jaffer has 19,410 runs in First-Class cricket, with a top score of 314 not out.

Pandya, who won his fifth IPL and first-ever title with Gujarat Titans (GT), spoke about his relationship with brother Krunal Pandya.

"Krunal and I are each other's backbone. We talk cricket, life and a lot of things. If you had asked me six years before that both you brothers would play for India together, I would take it," the Titans' captain said.

Krunal, who played for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) this season, did not celebrate much when he got Hardik's wicket in their first-ever encounter as competitors in the IPL.

Krunal and Hardik played for the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise together before playing alongside each other in Indian colours.

Hardik talked about what makes the two brothers so different on the field.

"Krunal and I were completely different cricketers. He was a left-handed batter who could bowl, while I used to bowl leg-spin and bat right-handed. He used to bat at 4-5, and I used to bat at No. 3. We never had a rivalry because our roles were always different. I used to play Under-16. He played Under-19. But we were there for each other, so make sure we improve in all departments," Hardik concluded.

Hardik was recalled into the Indian T20 squad for the five-match series against South Africa, starting June 9.