The Men’s Asia Cup 2025 is just days away, and Hardik Pandya is eager to prove once again why he is regarded as one of the finest white-ball all-rounders in the world. The Mumbai Indians skipper in the Indian Premier League (IPL) landed in Dubai on Thursday evening and will begin training for the tournament from Friday.
New haircut, new style
Ahead of the eight-team tournament, Hardik went in for a makeover, opting for a short haircut with a sandy blonde shade. The all-rounder, who played a crucial role in India’s T20 World Cup victory last year, unveiled his new look on Instagram with the caption, “New me.”
The change quickly became a hot topic on social media, with fans drawing comparisons between his look and that of England’s Ben Stokes and West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran.
Recent cricketing journey
Hardik last featured for India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, helping the team beat New Zealand in the final to lift the trophy. He also played in the T20I series against England earlier this year.
In the IPL, Hardik captained Mumbai Indians to Qualifier 2, where they were knocked out by Shreyas Iyer’s Punjab Kings.
No longer vice-captain
Once tipped to succeed Rohit Sharma as India’s T20I captain, Hardik has since been left out of the leadership group. For the Asia Cup, Suryakumar Yadav remains skipper with Shubman Gill as his deputy.
Hardik had led India in several bilateral series after the 2022 T20 World Cup, often referring to the squad as “his team.” But with Rohit Sharma’s return to captaincy in early 2024 and his subsequent confirmation as World Cup skipper by then BCCI secretary Jay Shah, Hardik quietly slipped out of the leadership frame.
Read | ‘Value of shots are there if you hit the gaps’: Hardik Pandya reflects on MIs batting against RR
Career so far
To date, Hardik has represented India in 94 ODIs, 114 T20Is and 11 Tests. In T20Is, he has amassed 1,812 runs at an average of 27.87 and a strike rate of 141.67, along with 94 wickets, with best figures of 4/16.
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