Hardik Pandya became a hero after the dramatic win against Bangladesh in a do or die match. In the T20 World cup in 2016 Pandya bowled the crucial last over when Bangladesh needed 11 runs to win. A major upset was on the cards as India would have been knocked out of the world cup if they had lost. Hardik Pandya recently revealed how he planned with MS Dhoni and Ashish Nehra to win the game.
Dhoni believed in Pandya and asked him to defend 11 runs that day at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. Mahmuddullah played it smartly and gave the strike to Mushfiqur Rahim who was in ominous form. The next two balls from Pandya were off target and Rahim made it pay by hitting back to back boundaries. The heads of the Indian players and everyone in the stadium dropped as a Bangladesh win looked inevitable.
Ashish Nehra and MS Dhoni gave suggestions: Hardik Pandya
Rahim was celebrating as he if the job was done while Pandya could only look at him being disappointed. With Pandya having just 2 runs in the bank to defend off 3 balls two senior players gave their valuable advises. Ashish Nehra and skipper MS Dhoni went up to Pandya and gave him the much-needed morale boost.
The rest is history as Pandya did the unthinkable and India won the match by 1 run. Pandya recently recalled the famous last over the drama of that crucial encounter in a chat with Cricbuzz.
“Few people gave suggestions like bowling a bouncer, but then we were not up for it because Ashu pa (Ashish Nehra) and Mahi bhai (Dhoni) said that if a tailender try to swing it and the ball gets a top edge so it might go over the keeper, so Mahi bhai said to go for the back of a length delivery outside off stump,” said Pandya.
The conference between Dhoni, Nehra and Hardik Pandya worked as Mushfiqur Rahim fell into the trap and was caught at deep square leg. Mahmuddullah also mistimed a low full toss as India came back into the match. With 2 runs needed off the last ball Pandya bowled a short and wide delivery which the batsman missed.
MS Dhoni then needed no second invitation as he ran like a lion and dislodged the stumps before the non-striker could complete a run.