Hardik Pandya endured his strong batting overall performance in India‘s Super-eight opener towards Afghanistan on Thursday in Barbados. The Indian vice-captain made a stable 32 runs off 24 balls, contributing substantially to a critical 60-run partnership with Suryakumar Yadav for the 5th wicket.
Hardik struck 3 boundaries and 2 sixes during his innings. One of his powerful sixes hit the glass shield of the media box at the Kensington Oval, while another landed on the stadium roof.
Pandya’s first six came in the 16th over, smashing Noor Ahmed’s full delivery straight down the ground with tremendous force, hitting the glass window of the press box. His second six, in the 18th over, came off Naveen-ul-Haq’s slower leg-cutter, defying the wind to cover a remarkable 98 meters before landing on the roof.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan and fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi each claimed three wickets
Suryakumar Yadav’s knock included a crucial 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Hardik Pandya. Farooqi started Afghanistan’s breakthroughs by dismissing India’s captain Rohit Sharma, caught by Rashid Khan for just eight runs.
This marked Farooqi’s fiftieth wicket in T20 internationals. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant contributed 43 runs for the second wicket, with Pant hitting 3 consecutive obstacles off Mohammad Nabi. However, Rashid struck once more in his subsequent over, dismissing Kohli caught via Nabi at lengthy-off for twenty-four runs off 24 balls, a great wicket.
Kohli managed to reach double figures after a disappointing start with just five runs in his first three matches of the tournament. At the halfway mark, India were 79-3. Suryakumar Yadav hit Rashid for a boundary and a six in the 11th over.
However, the leg-spinner quickly claimed his third wicket by dismissing Shivam Dube lbw for 10 runs. Rashid ended with impressive figures of 3-26.
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