Hardik Himanshu Pandya, a 30-year-old dynamic cricketer from Gujarat, has captured a million hearts over the years with his stellar innings. Pandya made his One-Day International (ODI) debut against New Zealand on 16 October 2016 and, ever since, has been a crucial pick for the Indian cricket team. Later in the same year, Pandya also made his debut for the T20I format against Australia and created a strong impression in the hearts of cricket aficionados and the hardcore fans of the Indian cricket team. Hailing from the land of Choryasi, Suart, Gujarat, Hardik Pandya has undoubtedly fought the odds and has a long way ahead in the rankings of world’s most dynamic and formidable cricketers. Although Hardik Pandya’s glorious cricket career has witnessed undeniable highs through his formidable batting attacks and ruthless bowling spells, the all-rounder being a part of numerous controversies over his cricketing career, has also faced the rough side of the cricket industry and a whacking fandom.
In this piece, we will take a look at the top eight most interesting and lesser-known facts about Hardik Pandya that you probably don’t know about.
- Hardik Pandya Was Dropped Out!
Hardik Pandya’s appearance on the “Koffee With Karan” show along with KL Rahul was highly criticized for their “sexist” remarks that stirred fuming controversies in the real world. Although the duo later apologized to the BCCI and viewers of Indian cricket for their sexist remarks towards women in general, they were forced to bear the consequences of their actions. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul for a few weeks, resulting in their unexpected withdrawal from the ongoing tour of India against Australia. The controversy tarnished Pandya’s image to a great extent, and it took him a while to bounce back.
- Hardik Pandya’s Obsession With Tattoos
With a unique sense of fashion and style, Hardik Pandya has undoubtedly been a style trailblazer for the younger generation. Extremely fond of tattoos, Hardik Pandya has more than twelve tattoos inked on his body. While there are many speculations about his tattoos, provided below is the actual meaning of some of the most popular tattoos on his body:
- “Tiger” Tattoo: Pandya has a huge tiger tattoo inked on his right shoulder that symbolizes bravery and strength to conquer every battle.
- “Believe” Tattoo: The “believe” tattoo on his left arm symbolizes his will to fight the odds and believe in himself even when the world is against him.
- “Paw” Tattoo: Hardik Pandya is a huge dog lover and this tattoo on the right of his neck serves as a constant reminder of that incredible love.
- “Peace” Tattoo: Hardik Pandya has inked the symbol of “peace” on the left side of his neck
- “Agastya” Tattoo: The young cricketer often keeps posting pictures of his son on his social media accounts and the tattoo on his left shoulder holding a baby represents his love for his son, Agastya, who was born in 2020.
- Rape-Molestation Allegation
In November 2021, just one year after his marriage with Natasa Stankovic, Hardik Pandya was alleged to rape and molest Dawood Ibrahim’s (underworld gangster) close aide, Riyaz Bhati’s wife, Rehnuma Bhati. An official legal complaint was filed at Mumbai’s Santacruz police station against Hardik Pandya along with fellow cricketer Munaf Patel and congress leaders Rajeev Shukla and Prithviraj Kothari. The alleged victim, Rehnuma Bhati, stated in her social media posts and interviews that Hardik Pandya along with Munaf Patel sexually assaulted her after being intoxicated. Although ultimately no evidence was found by the Mumbai Police and therefore the case was ultimately shut down, it ended up tarnishing Pandya’s image in the cricket fraternity.
- Hardik Pandya “Renewed” His Wedding Vows
Hardik Pandya’s marriage with his long-term girlfriend Natasa Stankovic amid the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown was quite the talk of the town. Three years down the line, in 2023, the couple decided on renewing their wedding vows in a dreamy setting and got married again in a Christian wedding ceremony that was commemorated by all their close friends and family members in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Dressed in a dreamy white gown by Shantanu & Nikhil, Natasa Satankovic looked drop-dead gorgeous walking down the aisle while Hardik Pandya adorned his classic black suit and wowed the world with his “dapper” look. The couple also went ahead and posted happy pictures with their son Agastya, who seemed to be the happiest witnessing his parents getting married and “renewing” their wedding vows.
- Hardik Pandya Got His “Step-Brother” Arrested
In April 2024, the Pandya brothers suffered a major loss in the polymer business that had earlier started off in partnership with their step-brother, Vaibhav Pandya. According to the reports, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya infused 40% of the capital each and the remaining 20% of the capital was infused by their step-brother, Vaibhav Pandya. Although the business was making significant profits initially, it later turned out to be a loss-making deal for the Pandya brothers, as Vaibhav Pandya started his own firm in the same business without involving Hardik or Krunal Pandya, as a consequence of which they lost a whopping INR 4 Crores.
- Hardik Pandya’s “Divorce” Controversy
Although things seemed to be dreamy for Hardik Pandya and Natasa Stankovic as they got married in 2020 and later renewed their wedding vows in 2023, Natasa’s sudden decision of dropping “Pandya” as her surname from her official Instagram account stirred a lot of speculations and controversies about the couple’s relationship status. Netizens also claimed that Natasa’s decision to divorce Hardik Pandya would be a mistake as he has already registered all his property under his mother’s name. Therefore, even if the divorce happens, Natasa Stankovic won’t be able to get anything significant as a part of the legal settlement.
- Hardik Pandya’s “Sympathy” Plan
Hardik Pandya was announced as the new skipper of the Mumbai Indians squad ahead of the IPL 2024 season, which resulted in a lot of hatred and backlash from the fans of Rohit Sharma, who has captained the squad for eleven long years and drove Mumbai Indians to a phenomenal victory for a record-breaking five IPL seasons. According to netizens, Natasa’s decision to drop off “Pandya” from her official Instagram account was just a deliberate attempt to create sympathy for Hardik Pandya who was receiving brutal criticism and bashing from the internet for replacing Rohit Sharma as the captain of Mumbai Indians.
- The Ongoing “Hardik-Natasa” Drift
While the whole nation has been commemorating the drought-ending victory of India at the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, Natasa Stankovic’s silence has again stirred a whole new controversy around her relationship with Hardik Pandya. Although Hardik Pandya has been highly appreciated for his stellar innings at the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, Natasa Stankovic has been receiving a lot of bashing and criticism on the internet for not uttering even a single word about India’s victory at the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. While Anushka Sharma, Ritika Sajdeh, Sanjana Ganesan and Rivaba Jadeja have openly expressed their overwhelming happiness over the Indian cricket team’s victory, Natasa Stankovic still hasn’t made any congratulatory remarks, neither for the Indian cricket team and nor for her husband, Hardik Pandya which is further fuming the couple’s separation rumors.
Also Read: 7 Unique Records Of MS Dhoni
