[WATCH] T20 World Cup 2026: Gautam Gambhir hosts dinner at his residence for Team India players ahead of Namibia clash

Gambhir hosts dinner for India players at Delhi residence

With India’s Group A campaign already underway after a gritty opening win over the USA, the Men in Blue touched down in the national capital ahead of their second match against Namibia.

[WATCH] T20 World Cup 2026: Gautam Gambhir hosts dinner for Team India players ahead of Namibia clash

T20 WC 2026: 3 changes India should make in their next match

India may fine-tune selection and tactics after lessons learned from their opening win.

T20 World Cup 2026: 3 changes India should make for their next match

T20 World Cup 2026: 'My heart was palpitating' - Aakash Chopra on Hardik Pandya's outing in India vs USA clash

When Hardik got out, my heart was palpitating: Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra feels poor shot selection and lack of game awareness cost India momentum during their shaky batting phase against the USA, despite a comfortable win.

Top 10 richest player featuring in the India/Sri Lanka T20 World Cup 2026

Top 10 richest players featuring in T20 World Cup 2026

From explosive batters to match-winning bowlers, these players have built massive fortunes through international cricket, franchise leagues, brand endorsements, and smart investments.

Top 10 richest players featuring in the India/Sri Lanka T20 World Cup 2026

india vs south africa. (Source:Gettyimages)

Clarke hails India all-rounder ahead of 2026 T20 World Cup

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke believes Hardik Pandya’s impact, along with Bumrah’s fitness and Kuldeep Yadav’s wicket-taking ability, could define India’s 2026 T20 World Cup campaign.

'He is the most important player in World T20 cricket currently' - Michael Clarke hails India all-rounder ahead of 2026 T20 World Cup

3 Strongest Batting Lineups in T20 World Cup 2026

With the T20 World Cup 2026 set to begin India, Australia, and England stand out as the most formidable batting units, combining power, and adaptability in subcontinental conditions.

T20 World Cup 2026: 3 teams with strongest batting units

Not Kohli or SKY, Balaji chooses a pacer for IND top moment

Lakshmipathy Balaji picked his best T20 World Cup moments in a 'This or That' segment involving India ahead of the 2026 edition of the marquee event.

Not Virat Kohli or Suryakumar Yadav, L Balaji chooses a pacer for India’s top moment ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

Aakash Chopra backs Team India star as MVP for T20 WC 2026

According to former India opener Aakash Chopra, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be named MVP (Most Valuable Player) after the 2026 T20 World Cup ends.

T20 World Cup 2026: Aakash Chopra backs Team India star as MVP for marquee event

IND vs NZ, 5th T20I: Hardik Pandya may get rested, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan expected to comeback

IND v NZ 5th T20: Hardik to be rested, Axar-Kishan to return

With series already sealed, India are expected to use this dead rubber to experiment player combinations and manage workloads before the marquee event.

IND vs NZ 2026: India likely to rest Hardik Pandya; Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan set for return

T20 World Cup 2026: Who should be India's finishers?

India will take on United States of America in their opening game of the T20 World Cup 2026.

5 All-Rounders to watch out for in T20 World Cup 2026

Let us take a look at five all-rounders to watch out for in T20 World Cup 2026.

IND vs NZ: [WATCH] Hardik Pandya, Murali Kartik seen in heated on-field exchange

WATCH: Hardik, Murali Kartik spotted in heated conversation

The incident occurred ahead of the second T20I of the series, as cameras caught the duo engaged in an animated conversation near the boundary ropes.

[WATCH] IND vs NZ 2026: Hardik Pandya, Murali Kartik seen in heated on-field exchange, video goes viral

What is India's record at Raipur in T20Is?

India have played only one T20I at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur so far.

Former selector’s surprising take on Bumrah & Hardik after India’s 48-Run win vs NZ

Bumrah, Hardik shouldn't play a game or two vs NZ: Srikkanth

"My only concern in injury. Axar got injured and we don't want key players getting injured," the former selector reckoned.

'Bumrah and Hardik should not play' - Former selector’s surprising take after India’s victory in 1st T20I against New Zealand

Varun Aaron breaks down Pandya's batting

The former India pacer breaks down the technical nuances in Hardik Pandya’s stance and shot-making that make him one of the most dangerous batters in T20 cricket.

Varun Aaron explains two key aspects that set Hardik Pandya apart from other Indian batters

What is India's record at Nagpur in T20Is?

The first game will begin on January 21 between India and New Zealand.

Gujarat Titans

India A

Baroda

India

Mumbai Indians

<h3>Introduction:</h3>
<p>From an ordinary Baroda boy to a bankable all-rounder for the Indian cricket team, Hardik Pandya has come a long way. He was born in Choryasi, Surat, Gujarat on October 11, 1993, and is the youngest son of Himanshu Pandya and Nalini Pandya. His father used to run a small car finance business in Surat, but to provide better cricket training facilities to his sons Hardik and Krunal Pandya (Hardik’s elder brother), he closed his small firm and moved to Vadodara. As Pandya belonged to a financially-weak, middle-class family, he used to live in a rented apartment in Gorwa, and used to travel to the cricket ground in a second-hand car.&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Hardik Pandya's&nbsp;Career Information</h3>
<p><strong>Test Debut: </strong>Sri Lanka vs India at Galle International Stadium, July 26, 2017<br><strong>ODI Debut:</strong> India vs New Zealand at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, October 16, 2016<br><strong>T20I Debut:</strong> Australia vs India at Adelaide Oval, January 26, 2016</p>
<h4>Domestic Career:</h4>
<p>In March 2013, Pandya made his debut in domestic cricket for Baroda against Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2012-13. He debuted in first-class cricket in November against Madhya Pradesh in the 2013-14 edition of the Ranji Trophy. In April 2014, Baroda won their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title routing Uttar Pradesh in the final. Playing his second season of the tournament, Pandya played a crucial role in making his team champions with his impressive show as an all-rounder.</p>
<h4>Amazing T20 International Career:</h4>
<p>Pandya marked his international debut in Australia in a three-match T20 series against the hosts in 2016. In the crucial second match, Pandya clinched dangerous Chris Lynn’s wicket and contributed to the team’s comfortable victory to take an unassailable lead. After the Australia tour, Pandya appeared in the 2016 Asia Cup. For the all-rounder, the continental tournament went well as he showcased his all-round talent against teams such as Bangladesh and Pakistan. Facing the arch-rivals for the first time, Pandya looked exceptional with the ball, picking 3/8 figures. After showing his strength in a couple of major tournaments, he got selected for the colossal 2016 T20 World Cup and became the leading wicket-taker for India along with Ashish Nehra.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In July 2018, he registered his second-best T20I bowling figures (4/38) against England at Gloucestershire Cricket Stadium and helped the team to win a maiden T20 International series in England. On February 1, 2023, he led the team from the front, bagging 4/16 figures against New Zealand.</p>
<h4>Scintillating One-Day International Journey So Far:</h4>
<p>In October 2016, Pandya broke into one-day internationals (ODIs) in a home series against New Zealand. At HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, he made the game for India with his 3/31 figures with the ball. After the game, he also won the Player of the Match award for his scintillating bowling display. On June 18, 2017, Pandya drew attention due to his fierce batting as he hit 76 runs off just 43 deliveries in the high-voltage Champions Trophy final against Pakistan.&nbsp;</p>
<p>After serving India for more than two and a half years, Pandya went to England with the squad to participate in the 2019 World Cup. In the mega event, Pandya came out as a vital cog for the team due to his incredible all-round talent.&nbsp;</p>
<h4>Shambolic Test Campaign:</h4>
<p>Like the limited-over forms of the game, Pandya couldn’t be effective for India in red-ball cricket. However, he started his Test career with fine batting performances in his debut series in Sri Lanka. Against the islanders, he scored a maiden ton in the final Test at Pallekele and achieved the record for becoming the first Indian batter to score a century before lunch.</p>
<p>In 2018, he toured England for the five-game Test series and struggled with both bat and ball. Witnessing his dismal show in the competition, In 2021, he couldn’t find a spot in India’s team for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand and the five-match Test tour of England.</p>
<h4>Indian Premier League Career:</h4>
<p>In February 2015, the Baroda all-rounder became a part of Mumbai Indians (MI) at INR 10 lakh at the mini-auction and appeared in his first season of the <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian Premier League (IPL)</a></strong> held in April-May 2015. In the do-or-die contest against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he emerged as the Player of the Match with his match-winning knock of 61 runs off 31 deliveries.</p>
<p>The swashbuckling player’s best innings came in 2019 as he smashed 91 runs off 34 deliveries against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at iconic <strong><a href="https://www.crictracker.com/eden-gardens-kolkata-history-stadium-capacity-stands-stats-trivia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eden Gardens</a></strong> in a losing cause. After serving MI for seven seasons in the league, Hardik joined Gujarat Titans (GT) and won them their maiden title in their debut season with his captaincy skills and batting talent.</p>
<h3><b id="docs-internal-guid-16c91fce-7fff-cd89-bc0f-c9095318dff7"><span>Hardik Pandya's </span></b>Personal Life:</h3>
<p>On January 1, 2020, Pandya got engaged to an India-based Serbian model Natasa Stankovic in Dubai. Later in July 2020, the spunky India batting all-rounder started new innings in his life as his partner Natasa gave birth to a baby boy, who got the name Agastya.</p>

Hardik Pandya Latest News: Check out the latest cricket news and updates on Hardik Pandya, including interviews, news headlines highlighting his performances and achievements on CricTracker.

Hardik Pandya