'I was just a batter': All-rounder Hardik Pandya hails MI scouting system
Hardik Pandya revealed his journey from a dedicated batter to a top white-ball all-rounder, crediting Mumbai Indians' sharp scouting and his own relentless hard work. He emphasised the importance of adapting and body management for aspiring cricketers. Pandya expressed his ambition to lead MI to a record sixth IPL title, inspiring the next generation with his fearless approach.
MUMBAI: The cricketing fraternity, today, acknowledges Hardik Pandya as one of the finest white-ball allrounders in the game, but when Mumbai Indians first spotted him in domestic cricket, he was just a hardworking youngster from Baroda, who only knew how to bat. Recounting his journey at a fireside chat with MI batting coach Kieron Pollard during the ‘MI MIX’ fan event at Jio World Garden on Sunday, Pandya said his rise was shaped by hard work and MI’s sharp scouting system. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
SUBSCRIBE NOW! “Before I played for Mumbai Indians, I was just a pure batter for 17-19 years. The only thing I knew was hard work — if someone told me to run 12 rounds, I would run 15,” Pandya said, recalling his early days in domestic cricket.
The turning point came during a Ranji Trophy match when MI scouts noticed him — almost by chance. “I was playing a Ranji game, and the scouts had not even come to watch me. That’s the beauty of the Mumbai Indians’ scouting system.
They identified something special even when they were not there specifically for me. That shows the strength of their system,” he said. Pandya joined MI in 2015 as a young prospect and gradually transformed himself into a match-winning allrounder.