Hardik Pandya (BCCI Photo) NEW DELHI: It was at an intimate dinner hosted by Irfan Pathan that the young, dynamic Hardik Pandya was first introduced to one of his idols — Wasim Jaffer. A few years later, the Indian all-rounder’s admiration for the domestic devotion only intensified and Pandya again named Jaffer as his cricketing idol at the Naman Awards.While Jaffer represented India only 33 times, his legacy was built in domestic cricket, where he scored nearly 20,000 first-class runs in a remarkable 25-year career.
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Shashi Tharoor & Samson’s Redemption Story: From Failure to Fame Recalling his first interaction with Pandya, Jaffer went back to the 2014–15 Ranji Trophy season when Mumbai faced Baroda and Pandya was still an emerging talent.Jaffer said on his Instagram profile, “I first met him during the 2014 or 2015 Ranji season. Mumbai was playing Baroda in Baroda. Irfan (Pathan), Yusuf (Pathan) and Munaf (Patel) were playing in the opposition team. I didn’t play that match because I was injured but I was traveling with the team.”“I remember we went to Irfan’s place for dinner and that’s when I met Hardik and Krunal for the first time,” said Jaffer. “Irfan told me: Meet Hardik, he will be acting very soon. And I think he was picked by the Mumbai Indians that season.”At the time, Pandya was just starting to come into his own, but his admiration for Jaffer was already evident.“Irfan told me that he is a big fan of mine. Hardik himself said, ‘Main aapki batting bahut dekhta hoon aur mujhe bahut apka khelne ka andaz pasand hai (I watch your batting a lot and I really like the way you play).'”
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“It’s very nice of him to keep putting my name in front of the big stars. That’s why there’s been so much news about who Wasim Jaffer is,” reflected Jaffer. “People often hear other names but they may not remember Wasim Jaffer because I made a name for myself in first-class cricket.
