“My happy place” - Hardik Pandya relaxes with son Agastya ahead of 5th T20I against England [In Picture]

Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya took to social media on Sunday, February 2, to share a heartwarming picture with his son, Agastya. Hardik and his former spouse, Natasa Stankovic, got married on May 31, 2020, and welcomed their first child, Agastya, on July 30 of the same year.

On July 18, 2024, the couple shared a joint statement on social media, officially announcing their decision to part ways. Since then, Agastya has been spending time with his mother in Serbia, while also visiting Hardik in Mumbai.

On Sunday, the Indian all-rounder took to Instagram Stories to share a heartwarming picture with his son, captioning it:

“My happy place.”

Hardik Pandya relaxes with son Agastya ahead of 5th T20I against England (Image via Instagram-@hardikpandya93)

The 31-year-old was last in action during the fourth T20I of the five-match series against England, played on Friday, January 31, in Pune. The explosive batter delivered a brilliant performance, scoring 53 off 30 balls, with four boundaries and as many sixes, helping the hosts post a total of 181/9 in their 20 overs.

Harshit Rana and Ravi Bishnoi then shone with the ball, each taking three wickets. The Men in Blue won the match by 15 runs, securing an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series with one game remaining.

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“He scores runs, takes wickets when the teams needs it” - Mohammad Kaif heaps high praise on Hardik Pandya

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has praised Hardik Pandya for his stellar 53-run performance in the fourth T20I against England.

The 44-year-old also questioned why Hardik, despite being vice-captain during the 2024 T20 World Cup, is not the captain. Following Rohit Sharma’s retirement after the World Cup, many expected Hardik to take over, but Suryakumar Yadav was named the new captain.

Recently, Hardik was also overlooked for the vice-captaincy in the ongoing T20I series against England, with Axar Patel assuming that role. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said: [as quoted by NDTV]:

"He scores runs when the team needs it. He takes the wickets when the teams needs it. Hardik Pandya played cameos in every match of the T20 World Cup. He is not the captain right now. Do you think he doesn't feel bad? Isn't he human, and doesn't he feel anything? He is not even the vice-captain of this Indian team.”

"He is the captain of Mumbai Indians. He won the IPL with Gujarat Titans and then reached the final. But he isn't the captain of the Indian team. Suryakumar Yadav is the captain. Hardik is doing his role to the best of his ability. Hardik Pandya always gives his best. You cannot find anyone with his skill set when he gets injured," he added.

Hardik will return to action when India takes on England in the final T20I on Sunday, February 2, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.