New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Gautami Naik received a surprise video message from her idol, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya, after her team’s victory against the Gujarat Giants at the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 Monday.
RCB confirmed their place in the tournament’s playoff after a 32-run victory over GG, extending their unbeaten streak in the tournament to five games. The 2024 champions are the only side to lose a game so far this year, having won five games consecutively ever since the start of their campaign.
After the game Monday, Gautami shared that she idolises Pandya, looks up to him, and wishes to contribute to her side in the same way.
“My cricketing idol is Hardik Pandya. I want to play like him. I watch his matches in the pressure situations all the time. I watch him play calmly, and that’s my nature as well. I see myself being similar to him, and I want to play like him,” she said in a video shared by WPL.
Just then, Gautami was handed a phone and shown a video message that Pandya had sent for her, where the senior all-rounder said, “Hi Gautami, Hardik here. I got to know that I am your cricketing idol. First of all, it feels really great to inspire a lot of young cricketers. And many congratulations on your first half-century. Enjoy the sport. I hope going forward in life, you do more and more better for your franchisee and for the country. Keep loving the sport, be disciplined and enjoy.”
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Gautami was overjoyed seeing the video, as she expressed, “This is a great moment for me; I didn’t expect anything like this. I can’t tell you how I am feeling right now. He is my idol and getting messages from him means I have achieved something in my life. Thank you so much for this. I would really like to meet him, I like him a lot, as a player, and his nature, as an athlete.”
“Hardik sir, I would like to meet you. I am a big fan of yours. I want to play like you. Keep encouraging me. And all the best for the T20 World Cup, hope you do well too. Our blessings are with you. Keep going and help India lift the World Cup,” Gautami added.
IANS
