Hardik Pandya wants to be the Jacques Kallis of India

Hardik Pandya stormed into the Indian national side with some blistering performances in the domestic competitions, especially the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he was the top run-getter as well as finished with a good number of wickets.

Pandya's all-round performance has been witnessed by all fans who might have followed the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last season. He showed his abilities with both bat and ball and even finished games for his side to help them win their second IPL title.

In an interview with IBN7, Pandya opens up about the turning point in his career, the hardships he had to face at the start of his career, and his cricketing idol.

The all-rounder from Baroda idolised the great South African all-rounder, Jacques Kallis and admired all that Kallis did for South African cricket. Pandya revealed that he wanted to do everything for India, just like Kallis did for South Africa – batting, bowling, and fielding at the highest level.

“Because what he has done for South Africa is quite commendable and you know when he has bowled he was the proper fast bowler and when he has batted he was a proper batsman and when he was doing fielding he was a brilliant fielder.

“So that’s why I idolise him because I want to be the Jacques Kallis of India. Because I want to be that guy who, whenever the team needs, is there...in batting, bowling, and fielding. So, that kind of player I want to be for India,” Pandya explained.

Pandya, when asked how his career changed course from a relative unknown to one of the most talked-about players in the Indian side right now, credited the IPL for the dramatic change in his life.

“Definitely IPL. IPL will be the biggest turning point of my life actually. Because no one knew one year back who was Hardik Pandya but now, at least, people know that Hardik Pandya is a proper allrounder, plays for Mumbai Indians and now he plays for India as well. In one year, my life has changed,” the all-rounder said.

The 22-year-old has had to come through a lot in life as he used to go around to villages in Gujarat and play cricket for around INR 400 to help him and his family survive all the hardships faced.

“I always had this thing in my mind that only cricket can give what I want in life because cricket is a religion in India. So only cricket can bring the few things I want. So during that time [of hardships], when my father had a few heart attacks and when the financial problem came, I was just sitting in the ground and thinking what to do in life because I was just 17 years old.

“I was watching a game and I just decided that this thing, cricket, can change my life; and cricket only can make things better right now. That’s why all my focus went to cricket,” Pandya said.

It goes without saying that Pandya has come a long way from a struggling cricketer to an established one for India, at least in the T20 format. His performances against Sri Lanka showed the world how good a player he could be for India going forward.

Pandya's abilities with bat and ball would give Indian fans a lot of hope as India's search for a good quality all-rounder might have come to an end with the unearthing of this gem from Choryasi.

In the upcoming Asia Cup and World T20, all eyes will be on Pandya when he plays in familiar conditions and the youngster will be hoping to live up to his billing and help India in their aim to win the tournaments.