NEW DELHI: India all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Wednesday shared a throwback picture and recalled the moment when he was handed the Indian cap by former India skipper Kapil Dev.
Pandya played his first match for India against New Zealand in Dharamsala in 2016 and in the match, he managed to take three wickets for the side.
The 26-year-old shared the picture on Twitter and captioned the post as: "Taking a moment to remember my ODI debut three years ago today ... what a memorable journey it's been so far with #TeamIndia. Every time I step onto the field, I realize a dream I had as a kid to play for my country.. there's no greater honour for me".
Hardik has so far played 11 Tests, 54 ODIs and 40 T20Is for the Men in Blue.
He has managed to score 532 runs and take 17 wickets in the longest format of the game. While in the 50-over format he has registered 957 runs and has scalped 54 wickets.
Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that Pandya underwent a lower-back surgery in London.
He had travelled to London on October 2 along with team India physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar.
Pandya had complained of lower back pain after India's final T20I against South Africa in Bengaluru on September 22.
The BCCI medical team then consulted a panel of spine specialists in England and they all recommended surgery for a long-term solution to this issue.
"Hardik Pandya complained of lower back pain after India's final Paytm T20I against South Africa in Bengaluru on 22nd September. The BCCI Medical Team consulted a panel of spine specialists in England and they recommended surgery for a long-term solution to this issue," BCCI said in a statement.
Hardik also tweeted about his surgery and thanked fans for their wishes.
"Surgery done successfully. Extremely grateful to everyone for your wishes. Will be back in no time! Till then miss me," Hardik tweeted.
The flamboyant all-rounder last played in the T20I series against South Africa where he claimed two wickets and scored 14 runs.