Team India all-rounder Hardik Pandya revealed his childhood cricket idol ahead of the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The Mumbai Indians (MI) captain ignored players like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh and instead chose the former India Test opener.
Pandya revealed this during an awards ceremony recently organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He attended the event along with several other cricketers in Delhi on Sunday. Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Hardik and Vaibhav Suryavanshi participated in the quick question session.
Hardik Pandya called Wasim Jaffer his childhood idol
During an entertaining rapid-fire segment hosted by veteran broadcaster Harsha Bhogle, the players shared their childhood inspirations. Hardik Pandya gave a surprising answer.
He ignored the famous white-ball greats of his generation. The all-rounder said he watched and admired Wasim Jaffer while growing up and learning the game.
Wasim Jaffer dominated domestic cricket before representing India. He played 30 Test matches between 2000 and 2008 and scored nearly 2,000 runs, including five centuries. The record of scoring most runs in Ranji Trophy is still in the name of Jaffer.
He spent several years playing for Mumbai and Vidarbha in domestic red-ball cricket. After retiring from professional cricket, Jaffer moved into television commentary and cricket analysis.
Other players share their childhood cricket idols
While Hardik Pandya praised Wasim Jaffer, his teammates chose various legends as their childhood idols. Sanju Samson immediately described Sachin Tendulkar as his inspiration.
Abhishek Sharma chose Yuvraj Singh as his role model. He also said that the former World Cup winner now works with him as a mentor and coach.
During the same rapid-fire session, Vaibhav Suryavanshi cited Brian Lara and Yuvraj Singh as his biggest inspirations. Brian Lara scored over 10,000 runs in international cricket and is considered one of the greatest left-handed batsmen in the history of the game.
Hardik Pandya played a key role in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 victory
Hardik Pandya played an important role in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 victory. He scored 217 runs in nine matches at an average of 27.12 and a strike rate of 160.74, which included two half-centuries. With the ball, he helped India win the tournament by taking nine wickets.
In the final against New Zealand, he scored 18 runs on 13 balls. He also gave 36 runs and took the wicket of Mark Chapman. Hardik will be seen in action in the upcoming Indian Premier League season.
He will lead Mumbai Indians in the tournament. Last year he took the team to the playoffs. Hardik scored 224 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 163.50 and also took 14 wickets. However, Mumbai Indians lost to Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2.
Mumbai Indians will play four matches in the first phase of the IPL 2026 season. They will start their campaign on March 29 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Also Read: If Ajinkya Rahane steps down from the captaincy of KKR in IPL 2026, who will replace him?
