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Former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer recalled the first time he met the star all-rounder Hardik Pandya during the formative years of his career almost 12 years back, speaking on how the two-time T20 World Cup-winning star admired his style of batting.
Hardik, before his Team India debut in 2016, faced a heavy domestic cricket and Indian Premier League (IPL) grind. He made his debut across first-class, List-A and T20 formats within 2013-14 and graduated to the IPL in 2015. In his first IPL season with the Mumbai Indians (MI), Pandya scored 112 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 180.65, making a name for himself with his hitting skills and his ability to deliver quality pace and accuracy with the ball. Speaking in an Instagram reel posted on his account, Jaffer recalled first meeting Hardik during the 2014 or 2015 Ranji Trophy season. Notably, the all-rounder named the Mumbai domestic giant as his inspiration during the recently held BCCI Awards in Delhi. Jaffer recalled he met Hardik when he went to cricketer Irfan Pathan's residence for dinner. He recalled how highly Pathan held the young all-rounder during his early years in domestic/IPL cricket. He also expressed happiness that Hardik chose someone who made his name primarily through domestic cricket as his inspiration. "The first time I met him was during the 2014 or 2015 Ranji season. Mumbai were playing Baroda in Baroda. Irfan, Yusuf, and Munaf were playing in the opposition team. I was not playing that match because I was injured, but I travelled with the team. It was my last season with Mumbai. I shifted to Vidarbha after that. I remember that we went to Irfan's house for dinner, and that is when I met Hardik and Krunal (Hardik's brother) for the first time. "Irfan told me, 'Is se milo, ye Hardik hai, bahut jaldi khelne wala hai (He is Hardik, meet him, he is going to play very soon).' And I think he was picked by Mumbai Indians that season itself. Irfan told me that he is a big fan of mine. Hardik himself said, 'Main aapki batting bahut dekhta hoon aur mujhe bahut apka khelne ka andaz pasand hai (I watch your batting a lot and I really like the way you play)." "It is very nice of him that woh abhi bhi itne bade stars ke samne woh mera naam lete hai (he still names me as an inspiration in front of big stars). And that is why there has been so much news about who Wasim Jaffer is. People keep hearing other names very often, but they might not remember Wasim Jaffer because I made a name for myself in First-Class cricket," he concluded. Between 2000 and 2008, Jaffer played 31 Tests for India, scoring 1,944 runs in 58 innings at an average of 34.10, with five centuries and 11 fifties, including a best score of 211. However, it was the weight of his runs in first-class cricket which earned him a legendary status in Indian cricket, scoring 19,410 runs in 260 matches and 421 innings at and average of 50.67, with 57 centuries and 91 fifties, including a best score of 314*. Recently, Hardik played a crucial role in India's T20 World Cup 2026 win, scoring 217 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 160.74, with two fifties and getting nine wickets at an average of 32.33. With two T20 World Cups and one ICC Champions Trophy to his name, Hardik has made a name for himself as one of the finest all-rounders in limited-overs cricket, known for stepping up his game in big matches. (ANI)
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