Hardik Pandya engaged to Mahieka Sharma? Diamond ring sets internet abuzz

Is star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya engaged? Social media is abuzz with this question, after the cricketer shared a series of pictures on Instagram yesterday.

Captioned “my big 3”, Pandya shared a carousel of photos showing him taking part in practice sessions, playing with his son and pet dogs, doing puja, and spending time with his girlfriend Mahieka Sharma.

While the duo have shared pictures together earlier, too, what caught the eye of the fans this time was the ring on Mahieka’s hand. It appears to be a diamond ring, several netizens pointed out, leading to speculations that she and Pandya may have got engaged in a private ceremony.

Pandya confirmed his relationship with fashion model Mahieka this October, posting a series of photos on Instagram Stories featuring her.

He was earlier rumoured to be dating UK singer Jasmin Walia, as she was spotted at matches where Pandya was playing. Jasmin was also reportedly seen in the Mumbai Indians team bus after their IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. However, reports suggested that they broke up later.

Pandya was married to actor Natasha Stankovic. Their son Agastya was born on July 30, 2020. The couple, however, got divorced in July last year.

The 32-year-old is currently recuperating from a quadriceps injury, and is unlikely to feature in the upcoming ODI series against South Africa starting on November 30. He sustained the injury during the Asia Cup T20 in Dubai last September and missed the final against Pakistan.

With the T20 World Cup scheduled early next year, the team management wants Pandya to focus on attaining full fitness for the tournament. "Hardik is recovering well from his quadriceps injury at the moment. He is at the Centre of Excellence doing his RTP (Return To Play) routines. As of now, returning from quadriceps injury, he needs to build up his workload and straightaway playing 50 overs will be risky. Till the T20 World Cup, the BCCI medical team and Hardik would focus on T20Is," PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying.

Pandya is likely to first prove his match fitness for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and is expected to play the T20I series against South Africa and New Zealand.