Beating England at their home is not a cake walk for any other cricketing nation. But defying all the odds, India did it on July 8 when they outclassed Englishmen and sealed the T20I series 2-1.
Though Rohit Sharma batted bravely and struck his third T20I ton. But contribution of Hardik Pandya was no less than the pinch of salt in delicious looking dish.
After conceding 22 runs off his first over, the star Indian all-rounder made a terrific comeback and picked 4 scalps in the rest of his spells. He leaked a total of 38 runs but completely damaged the England batting. Later, he finished the game with a six which turned out to be the last nail in the coffin.
While bowling, it was his elder brother who backed him after getting hit badly in the beginning.
“After getting hit for 22, I was still normal. Krunal, my elder brother, told me, ‘It’s OK, you can do it’. If you come and bowl in the right lengths, if you take wickets, on this kind of wicket and ground, eventually you’ll stop runs,” said Pandya after the match.
Pandya also disclosed the strategy he went with during the game. He said, “In shorter formats, when I bowl I think as a batsman. Generally, when I bowl, batsmen are going hard in this format. So, I try to think as a batsman and I try to outplay them.”
Sharma bagged the Man of the Match and Man of the Series award for his splendid batting. On the other hand, Pandya won all the trust of his team and the entire nation that the future of Indian cricket is indeed in safe hands.