By GS Vivek
New Delhi: Bhai maine selfie le li, a burly teenage boy celebrated his victory with a little jig at the Karnail Singh stadium sidelines even as his friends were still desperately trying to make the grade. The chaos for a selfie click outside the Baroda dressing room was not for Irfan Pathan, the erstwhile Indian all-rounder. The spotlight, or rather the mobile flashlight, was firmly on Hardik Pandya --- the brand new all-rounder on the block, the one who can whack the ball out of the park standing there, and pack a few to the pavilion, running in.
Hardik Pandya, ideally, should have been in white flannels being a part of Team India for the Test series against Australia. Instead, he preferred to wear the yellow and red pattern for Baroda in between to get some game time after the team released him a day before the Pune Test.
“I just like to keep playing, be it for India, my state team or my franchise. I always want to be in action, there’s no fun sitting out. That’s why you would have noticed that I was quite fired up when I was bowling out there. It’s important to keep getting games under your belt, especially because the IPL and the Champions Trophy are quite near. Also it helps to keep up your rythym,” he says, while politely requesting a fan who aspired for that perfect frame click after click. “Album banayega kya bhai…thoda baat karne do na please,” he says, sitting inside his car to escape from the never-ending clicks.
Hardik smiles at the mention of extra pace in his bowling, witnessed at the dusty Karnail pitch as his side razed Punjab’s heavy batting card. “You saw that? Yeah it’s something I am working hard on. I am working on my fitness a lot, I am a natural athlete but my focus is adding in a few extra yards of pace in my bowling. I want to bowl quicker, look a more complete fast bowler. I know as an all-rounder I have the pressure of performing on both counts, I practice hard in the nets and spend quality time with the bat as well. But I am really working on my bowling a lot,” he says.
Sitting behind in the car is Krunal, his brother and you know IPL virus has spread when he too gets his share of requests, having done a star turn for Mumbai Indians. The Pandya brothers realise what an IPL can do for a player’s career, and they have been byproducts of that global T20 brand. “IPL is very crucial for every player, I know it, you know it. We keep unearthing new players from IPL. Also from a player’s perspective, the competition, quality of opposition is a good, so it really tests a player of his skills, which is great,” says Hardik.
But he wouldn’t talk on India crushing defeat or his long wait to wear the Test cap. “I hope to get a chance pretty soon. My job is to be just prepared for it well when it comes,” he says. So what is his favoured batting position? “Anything, I can bat anywhere, just want to play Test cricket, that’s ultimate” motioning his driver to take left and go straight. “Seedhe airport chalo. I have a flight to catch, I have to join the Indian team at Bangalore,” he says waving goodbye. Hardik isn’t still sure if he will get his debut at Bangalore, a sporty wicket but remains optimistic of being called a Test cricketer.