New Delhi: If there were an award for the ‘most valuable player’ on Tuesday night, Hardik Pandya would have been a run-away favourite to bag it.
Presenting himself as an ideal all-rounder, Pandya scored 14 off 10 balls with the bat, inflicted two important run outs and defended 18 in the last over in an 8-over a side T20I against New Zealand at Thiruvanthapuram to play an important role in helping India clinch the three-match series 2-1.
After managing to score at a strike rate off 140 where most others were struggling to score at run-a-ball, Pandya caught the kiwis off guard with his swift fielding.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, who could have been the calming influence the visitors needed so badly, was ran out by Pandya in the fifth over of their chase. More than an error of judgment on Williamson’s part, it was a case of stunning anticipation and quickness to release the ball from Pandya.
The speed at which Pandya knocked the stumps down gave Williamson no chance to return to his crease.
Pandya was just warming up as he found another victim in Tom Bruce, when the New Zealand middle order batsman tried to comeback for the second run in the seventh over.
Standing at long on, Pandya gave a quick return to Dhoni, who did well to whip the bails off in time even though the throw was a tad wide.
When Pandya was done terrorizing New Zealand with his fielding, he rolled his arms over in the last over and comfortably defended 18, even after getting hit on the hands by a de Grandhomme straight drive in his second ball.