Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder for India, has an unusual choice for his favorite cricketer as a child, claiming that he prefers him to some of the game’s legends. Other cricketers he admires include Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, and Virat Kohli. Hardik also discussed his brother Krunal’s relationship with him and their early days of playing cricket together.
When it comes to choosing a favorite cricketer, Indians from the 1980s and 1990s usually go with one of the game’s legends, such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Brian Lara, Shane Warne, Jacques Kallis, Kumar Sangakkara, and others. Wasim Jaffer, a former India opening batter and a legend of Indian domestic cricket, was Hardik’s choice.
Hardik Pandya names Wasim Jaffer as his favorite cricketer
Wasim Jaffer played in an era when India’s batting was dominated by the Fab 5. For years, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman were the backbone of Indian Test batting, making it extremely difficult for any other batsman to make a case.
Despite this, Jaffer left a great impression, scoring 1944 runs in 31 Tests, including five centuries and 11 fifties. He hit two double-centuries for India, the first of which was 212 against the West Indies in 2006 and the second of which was 202 against Pakistan at home the following year. Jaffer’s century against South Africa in Cape Town in 2007 remains one of his best.
While Jaffer’s international career did not reach the heights that his domestic career with Mumbai and Vidarbha did, India’s star rounder Hardik Pandya has revealed that the veteran Mumbai batter was his favorite cricketer as a kid. While most current cricketers idolize Tendulkar, Dravid, and Laxman, Pandya grew up idolizing Jaffer, to the point where he ranked the Mumbai veteran above all other legends.
“Like everyone, I had favorite cricketers. I liked Jacques Kallis, Virat, Sachin sir. There are so many greats that you can’t pick. My favorite 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,” Hardik Pandya said.
Hardik also discussed the advantages of having his brother on and off the field. While there was no sibling rivalry when they were children, Hardik and Krunal pushed each other to keep improving.
