Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra is all praise for Hardik Pandya after the cricketer’s all-round brilliance in the first T20I against England on Thursday, July 7 at The Rose Bowl in Southampton. He feels that Hardik is the most valuable T20 player in India. The Indian team won the first T20I comprehensively by 50 runs, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
Hardik Pandya has once again proved to be an effective middle-order batter for India, and a handy option with the ball. On Thursday, he smashed a fifty in the first innings. It helped India to get close to the 200-runs mark. The 28-year-old followed it up with four wickets in the second innings to power India to victory.
Since his comeback to the Indian team, Hardik Pandya seems to be enjoying his role in the side. Reviewing the first T20I on his Youtube Channel, Aakash Chopra showered praise on the Indian all-rounder. He termed Hardik’s knock “incredible” in the first T20.
“Although England bowled well towards the end, what about Hardik Pandya? The way he batted, 51 in just 33 balls, was incredible. His team continues to look up to him and he has become, according to me, the most valuable T20 player in India. He also picked up four wickets of the likes of Dawid Malan, Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone & Sam Curran.”
India bowled England out for 148 runs registering a 50-run victory. Hardik Pandya finished the match with 51 runs and 4/33 in his four overs. He earned the Player of the Match award for his all-round performance.
For his brilliant show with the bat and ball, @hardikpandya7 is adjudged Player of the Match as #TeamIndia win the first T20I by 50 runs.
Take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Scorecard – https://t.co/Xq3B0KTRD1 #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/oEavD7COnZ
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 7, 2022
You can’t do better than this: Aakash Chopra feels Deepak Hooda has made the most of his chances in India’s T20I team
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra also lauded Deepak Hooda, who has been in great form of late in T20Is. In the first T20I, he contributed valuable 33 runs off just 17 deliveries including three boundaries and a couple of sixes. Aakash expressed that Deepak Hooda has become a good headache for the Indian management and selectors.
“Hooda is constantly asking questions like ‘What will you (selectors) do with me when Kohli, Pant, [KL] Rahul, etc. come back?’ It is going to be tough because, in the chances that Hooda has got, you can’t do better than this. But that’s Kohli’s number, right? So what’s going to happen?”
In his short T20I career of six matches, Deepak Hooda has scored 205 runs at an average of 68.33 and a strike rate of 172.26. He recently slammed his maiden T20I century in the second T20I against Ireland in Dublin.
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