Meet Jerrssis Wadia: The six-hitting sensation shipped to Adelaide from Vadodara, with a Hardik Pandya connection

New Delhi: Indian-origin batter Jerrssis Wadia became a social media sensation after he smoked 22 runs -- including three consecutive sixes -- off the first four balls he faced in only his second match for the Adelaide Strikers against Brisbane Heat in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL). The clip went viral and even earned him praise from mean six-hitters like Hardik Pandya and Nicholas Pooran.

“I wanted to hit a six literally every ball that I faced, to be honest,” laughs Wadia. “It was just about being really clear, backing my skills and trying to be as aggressive as I possibly could. Luckily, I could hit three, so that was nice.”

“It’s honestly been surreal. The first couple of days, my Instagram just started blowing up. There were texts from so many Indians and Australians. I also got a couple of texts from top cricketers like Hardik Pandya and Nicholas Pooran. It still hasn't sunk in yet. I'm still getting notifications every minute. It’s amazing how something like that can change your whole perspective and the entire environment around you,” adds Wadia.




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The Pandya connection, however, isn't just restricted to the text message as the two families go back a long way.

Growing up, Hardik used to take tuition from Wadia's mother and even stayed at their house in Mumbai during his early days with the Indian cricket team. Hardik's late father Himanshu was a big source of motivation for the Wadia household.

“They’re close family friends -- Krunal and Hardik. I’ve learned a lot from them. They’re very senior to me. When Hardik was bursting onto the scene, I saw how tirelessly he worked. They used to practise at our ground back home. Seeing how their lives changed gave me hope that I could achieve it too. My dad, my uncle and my grandpa were good friends with Hardik’s dad. It’s a nice family connection. It was nice to be noticed by someone I admired growing up,” says Wadia.

The 24-year-old played his U-16 and U-19 cricket for Baroda before moving to Adelaide. Wadia’s father, Dilzan Wadia, is a Bollywood actor based in Mumbai, but it was his cricket-mad grandfather Neville Wadia who, 16 years ago, became the oldest player to score a century in minor cricket, earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.


“My grandpa threw a ball at me when I was four, and I hit it back. That was the first time I connected the ball and I was really happy,” says Wadia.

Talking about his roots, Wadia speaks about his grandfather's influence on his cricket.

“My family is from India. All of them are in India. My parents are from Mumbai. I can speak Hindi properly, Gujarati properly, and a little bit of Marathi, but not very clearly,” he shares.

“All my junior cricket was with the Baroda Cricket Association. That’s where my grandparents are still living. I lived and played with my grandparents all my life because my mom and dad used to work in Mumbai. It was really hard for them to take me to training. My grandpa was really enthusiastic and wanted me to become a cricketer. He was all in for me. He also has a Guinness World Record for being the oldest player to score a hundred, so cricket runs in our family a little bit,” he says.

Jerrssis decided to move to Australia after the coronavirus pandemic, when cricket completely stopped. He lost his peak U-19 years due to COVID and then, against his parents’ wishes, decided to move Down Under in search of greener pastures.

“I thought about moving to Australia just for cricket. I always wanted to become a professional cricketer. I did play a lot of state cricket back home in India. I moved to Australia in 2022,” says Wadia.

“I missed U-19s because of COVID. As you would know, in India COVID was really bad. It was tough. I think the BCCI decided to cancel junior tournaments. It became really hard because I missed my U-19 peak year. Once that happened, I knew it would be really tough to get through the system because of how good young cricketers are in India.

“I also didn’t have belief in myself back then. Honestly, I was young and didn’t believe I could still make it. But something clicked and I just wanted to go. I wanted to leave the system back home. My parents didn’t agree and there were disagreements. It was tough initially because my family wasn't helping financially. Everything was tough at the start. But one thing kept driving me — I just wanted to play cricket. That made me happy,” Wadia reflects.

Eight months ago, at a T10 tournament in Melbourne, former Australia captain Tim Paine was amazed to see an Indian-origin cricketer smoking sixes for fun. He asked the coaches, “Where has this guy come from?”

“Tim Paine thought, hang on, who is this kid who came in? I haven’t seen him anywhere. And from nowhere, he’s hitting the first ball for six,” says Wadia.

“I think it was the biggest change and the biggest shift in my cricketing life. There was an academy tournament. Adelaide Strikers were playing Melbourne Stars at the academy level. It was like a B team of Adelaide Strikers. I got the opportunity, luckily. I played as a spinner, so I didn’t get to bat in the first couple of games.

“In T10, it’s really hard to get batting. And luckily, on the day Paine was present, our top order got out and I went in to bat in the last two overs. I had eight or 12 balls and hit two or three sixes. Then, in the next game, I got a chance a little higher. I again hit a six off the first ball and got around 30 off six or seven balls.

“Paine had a little chat with me in Melbourne. From then on, I started believing that, 'hang on, I can actually play at this level and people are now noticing me.' From then on, I just kept working hard. Now it has been eight months and life has changed a little bit,” says Wadia.

As the adage goes, it takes a village to raise a kid, and Wadia is no different. Cricket was in his roots, but it was the rise of the Pandya brothers that inspired him. If it was the Pandya brothers in Baroda, it was Tim Paine and Ryan Harris in Adelaide who took Wadia under their wings.

“I met Paine in Melbourne earlier this year. He told me that I have something in me to play at the next level. That gave me the drive to push harder and break that door. Paine was the guy who made me feel like I belong at this level,” he recollects.

“He was the number one guy who gave me belief. Also, the SACA coaches helped me a lot, along with Ryan Harris. John Palmer is another coach who helped me. There’s also an Indian coach, Levy Singh. A lot of people played a part in my life in Australia. I give credit to all of them. Every learning, every disagreement. I'm grateful for it,” says Wadia.

In Paine, who is also coach of Australia A and the Adelaide Strikers, Wadia has found the right mentor. After that blitz, if he remains consistent, sky is the limit.

“It hasn't happened in a year. It’s been a long work in progress. A lot of repetitions, a lot of drills, especially with ramps. I have to keep evolving. This is just the start of my journey,” he says.

After moving to Adelaide, Wadia manifested becoming a professional cricketer. Now he has another wish -- scoring centuries at The Adelaide Oval and Wankhede Stadium -- one for the team he represents in the BBL, and the other for his favourite IPL team (Mumbai Indians) he grew up watching.

“But it’s been nice. It was a decent feeling. I was amazed.”

“It’s about the work I’ve done before all this. This is just the platform I got, luckily. The situation allowed me to play what I’ve worked on. I'm pleased that it’s working, but now it’s about what I can add and how I can do it consistently. That’s the next learning.”

“The only thing that helped me was the hunger I had. There was no one initially. It was tough personally. There was no one at the start,” he says.

“The goal is to play for Australia, not just one game, but a long and sustainable career in all three formats.

“I love Test cricket. I love four-day cricket. I love first-class cricket and red-ball cricket. I want to play all three formats. That’s the goal. One step at a time. I want to play cricket at the highest level, against the best players. I want to get better and get tested,” he says.

Wadia, a Bollywood buff and an Arijit Singh fan, lives by his favourite Hindi film, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara -- move to foreign shoes, the punt in playing in BBL and the adventure that comes with the sport.

It won't be easy for Wadia going forward. After a scintillating start to the BBL, his quest for redemption has just begun. It will be chaotic -- but it’s the chaos he has always dreamt of: dust, runs, centuries and victories.