Wasim Jaffer made truckloads of runs in the Indian domestic circuit. Thanks to his consistency, the Mumbai batter was able to knock on the doors of Team India selectors during an era when the Indian cricket team was brimming with batting royalty including the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman – to name a few.
Also Read: ‘We Got Kuldeep Yadav Back Into The Mix Because we See The Quality’
And he didn’t just knock on the doors, he got himself an entry into Test cricket becoming the first India opener to score a century on South African soil in the longest format. Even though he played in just 31 Tests, Jaffer scored 1944 runs including five centuries and 11 half-centuries.
India allrounder Hardik Pandya has revealed that while he did admire the likes of Tendulkar, and Jacques Kallis when growing up, it was Jaffer who was his favourite cricketer so much so that he used to copy his shots.
Also Read: Dravid Drops a Big Hint on When Umran Could Make His India Debut
“Like everyone, I had favourite cricketers,” Pandya said on the SG podcast. “I liked Jacques Kallis, Virat, Sachin sir. There are so many greats that you can’t pick. My favourite cricketer was actually Wasim Jaffer. I used to love watching him bat. Someone I always placed him above other legends. Somehow, I used to copy his batting, but I was never able to get his class.”
Pandya recently led IPL newbies Gujarat Titans to title win in their maiden season. While he used to play in the T20 league alongside his older brother Krunal for Mumbai Indians till IPL 2021, once the duo was released they were picked by different franchises for the latest season.
While GT picked Hardik ahead of the mega auction, Krunal was bought by another IPL newcomer Lucknow Super Giants.
Opening up on his equation with his brother, Hardik said, “Krunal and I are each other’s backbone. We talk cricket, life and a lot of things. If you would have asked me six years before that both you brothers would play for India together, I would take it.”
Hardik also said there was no sibling rivalry between them growing up since the two were quite different as a cricketer and in the role they played for their teams.
“Krunal and I were completely different cricketers. He was a left-handed batter who could bowl while I used to bowl leg spin and bat right-handed. He used to bat at 4-5 and I used to bat at No. 3. We never had a rivalry because our roles were always different. I used to play Under-16, he played Under-19. But we were there for each other so make sure we improve in all departments,” he said.
Get all the latest updates on Cricket News, Cricket Photos, Cricket Videos, IPL 2022 Live Updates and Cricket Scores here