Kung fu Pandya, aka Hardik Pandya, has been an excellent find for Team India in recent times. He has already justified his selection in the Indian Cricket Team on many occasions. He has given some unforgettable moments for his team to cherish not only in International Cricket but also in Domestic front.
Cricket experts believe that Hardik Pandya can be the pace bowling all rounder that India has been searching for, ever since Irfan Pathan has lost his form. He is also taking up the responsibility to step into the shoes of a finisher role which is not easy. Let us have a look on his top 5 moments in the cricket world.
Few facts in case you didn’t know:
International team: INDIA
Domestic team: BARODA
IPL team: MUMBAI INDIANS
TOP 5 MOMENTS OF HARDIK PANDYA ON FIELD:
– by Rishita Patnaik
1. India vs. Bangladesh, T20 World Cup 2016:
Hardik Pandya defended 11 runs off the last over by giving away 9 runs and taking two crucial wickets in a thrilling encounter against Bangladesh as India won the match by 1 run. It helped India enter the semifinals followed by this nail biting finish. Hardik was hit for two straight boundaries and it appeared like the match turned in favor of Bangladesh as the equation for Bangladesh to win the match was to hit 2 runs off three balls.
But the young lad came back stronger and took back to back wickets in the next two deliveries and brought the belief in everyone that the match wasn’t over yet. Bangladesh needed 2 runs off the last ball to win. Hardik bowled a good delivery and the ball was neatly collected by the wicketkeeper, Dhoni and Dhoni with his lightening speed had run out the batsman and India won the match by one run.
But the young lad came back stronger and took back to back wickets in the next two deliveries and brought the belief in everyone that the match wasn’t over yet. Bangladesh needed 2 runs off the last ball to win. Hardik bowled a good delivery and the ball was neatly collected by the wicketkeeper, Dhoni and Dhoni with his lightening speed had run out the batsman and India won the match by one run.
2. India vs. Pakistan, ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Finals:
In the champions trophy finals India lost half of their batting side for mere 54 runs but after Hardik Pandya made an entry in the field he was unstoppable as the runs were flowing at a high pace from his bat. Hardik was dealing only in boundaries.
His blistering knock of 76(43) balls was a ray of hope for the Indian side but soon he was run out by Hasan Ali because of miscommunication with Jadeja. India, later on, ended up on the losing side but no one would ever forget that fighting knock from Hardik that too against the arch rivals Pakistan.
3. Mumbai Indians vs. Rising Pune Supergiants, IPL 2017:
Hardik Pandya in Mumbai Indian’s 1st encounter with Pune super giants in the 10th edition of the IPL gave a great finish for his team Mumbai which helped the team to post a respectable total on board.
His figures in the last over of the match were 6, 6, 6, 4, 6 off Ashok Dinda’s over. This shows his finishing skills. But later on, Mumbai lost the match in this encounter by 3 runs.
4. India vs Australia, 3rd T20I, India’s tour of Australia 2016:
Apart from his ability to hit the ball hard and being a sharp medium pace bowler, Hardik has been an acrobatic fielder, one of the best fielders in this sport in recent times. He showed the crest of fielding skills in the 3rd T20I of Australia series as he saved a six which was hit by Head off Jadeja by an eminent fielding effort.
5. Baroda vs. Vidarbha, Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy 2016:
In this encounter, Hardik Pandya smashed 86*(46) deliveries and won the match for his team Baroda quite comfortably. His innings comprised of three 4’s and 8 massive 6’s which shows his aggressive side and his ability to hit the ball hard. With the help of his great innings, Baroda won the match by 6 wickets with one over to spare.
6. INDIA vs. SRILANKA, India’s tour of Sri Lanka 2017:
It was a moment to be cherished forever for Hardik Pandya as all rounder made his test debut on 26/7/2017 against Srilanka as it’s a dream for every cricketer to play the toughest format i.e., test format of the game and thrive to excel in it. He made a fabulous 50 run knock off 48 balls on debut and became the second fastest Indian to score a half century on debut standing behind Yuvraj Singh in the list. He became the first Indian Batman to hit more than two sixes in an inning on test debut.
There are many more cherishable moments in Hardik’s closet. Let us hope that he keeps us entertaining with his amazing skills and also make India proud on many other bigger stages of the sport!
– by Rishita Patnaik