Neither Dhoni nor Virat! Hardik Pandya considers ‘this’ Indian legend as a role model in cricket, you will be shocked to read the name

• Who is Hardik Pandya’s ideal cricketer?

• Hardik Pandya made the disclosure at the ICC Naman Award ceremony

• Whose name did Hardik Pandya take?

Team India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya opened up about his childhood idol, much to the surprise of cricket fans. During a rapid-fire round with Harsha Bhogle at the BCCI awards in Delhi on Sunday, Hardik, when asked about his role model, chose former India Test opener Wasim Jaffer instead of any other world legend.

At this award ceremony, Harsha Bhogle asked many questions to Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Hardik Pandya and when he was asked who was your idol player as a child, all of them named their idol player. But everyone was surprised when they heard the name taken by Hardik Pandya.

Pat Cummins’ fitness raises concerns, Abhishek Sharma to lead SRH? What will happen in IPL 2026?

Called Wasim Jaffer his hero

Hardik said Jafar was his idol from childhood. Considered the king of domestic cricket, Jaffer has scored 1,944 runs in 31 Tests for India, including five centuries. This came as a surprise to the fans, as cricketers usually take the name of a legendary international cricketer.

These players also revealed their ideals

In the same event, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Suryavanshi also named their favorite players. Sanju Samson unquestionably calls cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar his role model. Meanwhile, T20I number one batsman Abhishek Sharma named his mentor and former legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh. Meanwhile, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who came to limelight at the age of just 14, cites legends Brian Lara and Yuvraj Singh as his inspirations.

Yuvraj Singh is a favorite among junior players

One of the highest run-scorers in Test cricket, Brian Lara is a great role model for the younger generation. Yuvraj Singh’s aggressive approach often attracted young players. Even today many say that Yuvraj Singh is the role model of many young players.

Why was Ishaan Kishan selected in place of Jitesh Sharma? Suryakumar Yadav answered this biggest question