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'Hardik used to hang around. Told Krunal to bring him': Ex-BCCI selector on how Pandya started playing cricket
What prompted Hardik's love affair with cricket? Former BCCI selector and the Pandya brothers' childhood coach Kiran More has revealed a fascinating story about how he spotted got a young Hardik to start playing the sport.
From starting off as a promising all-rounder for Mumbai Indians in 2015, Hardik Pandya is now an IPL-winning captain. With questions surrounding his form and fitness, the Gujarat Titans captain answered his critics in style, scoring over 400 runs, bowling at full tilt and leading the franchise to an IPL title win in debut season. If there were doubts, they’ve been answered, and with Pandya back in the Indian team, the hope is he will only get better in the run up to the World Cup.
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But how did this all come about? What prompted Hardik's love affair with cricket? Former BCCI selector and the Pandya brothers' childhood coach Kiran More has revealed a fascinating story about how he spotted got a young Hardik to start playing the sport. More mentioned that he saw Hardik having inclination towards cricket and eventually got him hooked with help from older brother Krunal.
"He wanted to play the sport. Krunal Pandya (his elder brother) had joined my academy and Hardik used to hang around. He used to keep running behind the nets and catching the ball. That is when I told Krunal to bring him to nets as well and that's when I saw hunger in his eyes," More said on the SG Sports Podcast.
A former India wicketkeeper batter, More added that Pandya through his brilliant captaincy, has now transformed into a '4-D player'. Praising Pandya's leadership and calling GT winning the trophy his best IPL moment, More is proud of the player he once nurtured and played a huge role in his growth as an Indian cricketer.
"For me, Hardik was a young kid, who wanted to perform all the time. I now believe he is a four-dimensional player now. Earlier he was a three-dimensional player because he is bowler, batter and a fielder but now he is captain as well. So you feel proud that you have such a talented cricketer in the national side," he mentioned.
