The man who could be a hero

Two years ago, batting during India’s failing chase of Pakistan’s 338 in the Champions Trophy final, Hardik Pandya was run out for 76. It was due to no fault of his — his partner, Ravindra Jadeja, was at fault for the dismissal. Pandya had come in at 54/5, when India needed another 285 runs. But cornered, the 23-year-old had suddenly started hitting sixers — three off three balls off leg-spinner Shadab Khan, later two off two balls from Fakhar Zaman. But then, having hit six sixers and four fours in 43 balls, he was out.

Pandya was furious, even though at 152/6, India had no chance to win. His anger suggested that he had a wild hope — chasing down Pakistan’s massive 338 all by himself. That’s the sort of confidence he has in his abilities.

Pandya was always a very confident young man, right from his schooldays in Vadodara. He picked up the game at Kiran More’s academy in Vadodara, tagging along with older brother Krunal. He had a passion for cricket and distaste for studies. Beginning as a batsman who could bowl leg-spin, he later took up pace bowling. One of his early feats was making a double hundred against Mumbai U-16, after coming in at 24/4. Pandya was good enough to debut for Baroda shortly after turning 20, but it was his stint with Mumbai Indians that gave him sharp focus, as More noted recently: “The fitness levels have improved because of a fine coaching staff. Spending time with Sachin has helped him.”

Pandya has the ability to bash the ball hard. He doesn’t seemed fazed by pressure, so he could play the finisher as well — if he manages to control the rush-of-blood impetuosity that makes him play suicidal strokes at times. As a bowler, he’s a competent rather than devastating medium-pacer who may find success in the UK if the conditions are helpful. Very, very few bowlers are effective on flat tracks, and Pandya is yet to prove that he is one of them.

IPL gave him fame, fortune and confidence, though this also seems to have made him cultivate a loathsome attitude towards his female fans. Pandya can become a hero to a billion fans in the future, but he’s already been a villain to several million — he can thank his misogynist-sexist loose talk about women on a TV show for that. But everyone deserves a second chance. Pandya aspired to become a hero against Pakistan in London in 2017. Now he could get another chance to be one.