Kamal Ghorui
MUMBAI: Of late, Hardik Pandya has been making headlines for reasons beyond cricket. His cosy celebrations with girlfriend Mahieka Sharma after India’s triumph in the 2026 T20 World Cup drew criticism, with a Nagpur-based advocate even filing a police complaint. Reports of the allrounder buying a Rs 12-crore Ferrari 12Cilindri have added to the chatter around his flamboyant lifestyle — from his blonde hairstyle to the trademark gold chain.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Yet, amid all the noise, Pandya’s crucial role in India’s back-to-back T20 World Cup triumphs in 2024 and 2026 has not received the same attention.In both the 2026 semifinal against England at the Wankhede Stadium and the 2024 final against South Africa in Barbados, Pandya delivered decisive spells at the death, proving the perfect pace-bowling foil to the peerless Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah rightly walked away with most of the accolades, but Pandya’s contributions were equally vital.
In the 2026 semifinal, Pandya chipped in with a 12-ball 27 before returning figures of 2/38 in four overs in a high-scoring contest.
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When he came on to bowl the 19th over, England needed 39 off two overs, with Jacob Bethell — who blasted 105 off 48 balls — threatening to chase down India’s daunting 253. After Bethell launched the first ball for six, Pandya responded brilliantly, conceding just three runs from the next five deliveries and dismissing Sam Curran.With 30 needed off the final over, Pandya then produced a moment of brilliance in the field — a bullet throw from long-off that ran out Bethell at the start of the 20th over, effectively sealing the match for India.
Overall, Pandya finished the tournament with nine wickets in nine matches at 32.33, an economy of 8.81, while scoring 217 runs at a strike rate of 160.74, including two fifties.With the bat, one of his key contributions came against Netherlands in Ahmedabad, where his 21-ball 30, including three sixes, helped India recover from 110/4 in the 14th over. His 76-run stand with Shivam Dube lifted India to 196/6, a total that proved just enough in the end.Two years earlier, after enduring perhaps the toughest IPL season of his career with Mumbai Indians, Pandya bounced back magnificently in the 2024 T20 World Cup, taking 11 wickets in eight matches at 17.36 while scoring 114 runs at 48, including a fifty.In the 2024 final in Barbados, while Bumrah’s 2/18 grabbed the headlines, it was Pandya who turned the game with figures of 3/20 in three overs. When he returned for the 17th over, South Africa needed 26 off 24 balls. Pandya conceded just four runs and removed the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen, who had blasted 52 (27b).Entrusted with the final over, Pandya then had David Miller caught by Suryakumar Yadav, whose stunning running catch sealed India’s dramatic seven-run win.A source close to Pandya says cricket remains the allrounder’s primary focus, especially around major tournaments.“Cricket is his first love. It takes precedence over everything else. But away from the field, he enjoys his life and doesn’t worry about what people say. His philosophy is simple: live life fully, but when it comes to cricket, be completely dedicated.”According to the source, Pandya enters a different ‘zone’ before major tournaments. “He was rested from the ODI series against New Zealand in Jan and focused entirely on preparing for the T20 World Cup. He trained twice daily, stayed disciplined and avoided social media. He believes in practising in silence rather than showing everything on Instagram.”The source added that Pandya even logs off social media a month before major tournaments. “He doesn’t read newspapers or follow online chatter. His focus is only on winning the trophy.”Over the years, Pandya’s understanding of the game has also improved significantly. “As a batter he reads bowlers well, and as a bowler he reads batters well. He may not be the quickest, but he uses his intelligence and variations — especially that outswinger — to get the job done.”Though no longer India’s captain in any format, the 32-year-old has embraced his role as a senior leader in the side. During the World Cup, he was often seen encouraging teammates, especially fellow allrounder Shivam Dube, in team huddles.Quite simply, Pandya remains one of the finest white-ball allrounders in world cricket — arguably India’s best since the legendary Kapil Dev.Frequent injuries may have cost him the white-ball captaincy, but Pandya has repeatedly returned leaner, fitter and hungrier.Nearly eight years ago, after playing his eighth Test at Southampton against England, Pandya stepped away from red-ball cricket to extend his white-ball career — a decision that has clearly paid off. In limited-overs cricket, Pandya remains the player India can rely on with both bat and ball.
