Hardik Pandya likely known for his big hitting skills came into limelight when he smashed 43 balls 73 runs in final of ICC champion trophy on 18 June 2017 against Pakistan. At the same time he broke Adam Gilchrist record of fastest 50,by smashing the same in just 32 balls. Hardik is the only Indian cricketer to smash 39 runs in an single over in BCCI  domestic matches.

Pandya made his T20 international debut for India on 27 January 2016 at the age of 22, picking up 2 wickets against Australia His first Twenty20 International wicket was Chris Lynn. In the second T20I against Sri Lanka cricket team at Ranchi, he came ahead of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni and hit 27 off 14 balls. In Asia Cup 2016, Pandya smashed an 18-ball 31 helping India post a respectable score against Bangladesh. Later on, he also picked up a wicket to secure the win. In the next match against Pakistan,he bowled his best figures of 3 for 28 which restricted Pakistan to 83. In a 2016 World Twenty20 match against Bangladesh on 23 March, Pandya took two crucial wickets in the last three balls of match's final over as India beat Bangladesh by one run.

Pandya made his One Day International (ODI) debut for India against New Zealand on 16 October 2016 at Dharamshala. He became the fourth Indian to be named player of the match on ODI debut after Sandeep Patil, Mohit Sharma and K. L. Rahul In his first ODI innings as a better, he scored 36 runs from 32 balls. In the group stages of ICC Champions Trophy, Pandya hit three consecutive sixes to Imad Wasim before rain stopped play in the same over gained him a worldwide recognition as a lethal batsman. On 18 June 2017, in the final of the Champions Trophy at the Oval, he struck a 43-ball 76 in a losing cause, after coming in with India at 54/5 following a top order collapse.

 He was named in the squad that toured Sri Lanka  in July 2017 and played his first Test on 26 July in Galle In the 3rd and the final test match against Sri Lanka at Pallekele Pandya scored his maiden Test century, and set the record for becoming the first Indian batsman to score a test century just before lunch and set the record for scoring the most number of runs in a single over of a test innings for India in their test history scoring 26 runs. This century was his first century in international cricket.