By the standards of Hardik Pandya, it was just another Tuesday. While other batters were struggling to hit the ball, Pandya was able to lift himself to a different planet. Darwin would have recognised how cruelly it tried batters for survival on a pitch that spit out severe tennis-ball bounce and seam movement, but Pandya handled his willow like King Arthur’s Excalibur. On a difficult surface, this was more than just brilliant play—six fours and four sixes at an enthralling strike rate of 210 in an undefeated 59. It was ferocious genius.
Hardik Pandya spectacular, jaw-dropping batting helped India defeat South Africa by 101 runs in the first Twenty20 International at the Barabati Stadium. Ravi Shastri summed up the match by saying, “Back in the side and back with a bang.” He batted as if it were a flat Rajkot wicket, while others found the new, unproven, and challenging red dirt Barabati strip difficult. Less than half of his powerful 59 was the second-highest individual score of the game. It seemed to be a different strip. It’s Tuesday again.
After being rendered hors de fight by a quadriceps injury, Pandya’s game-changing knock highlighted what India had been lacking in white-ball cricket over the previous two months. “At 48 for 3, and then from there getting to 175… the way Hardik Pandya batted,” pondered captain Suryakumar Yadav… “At first, we thought we’d get to 160, but then 175 was unbelievable.” Perhaps even with 120 on the board, India would have prevailed. The surface was very difficult. The Indian bowlers, both pacers and spinners, had the South African hitters as easy pickings. In 12.3 overs, they were all dismissed for 74.
“He’s a six-hitter, but he’s also composed.” Additionally, I believe that determining which balls to attack requires a great deal of experience. He swung it properly, without taking short cuts, as soon as the ball was in his areas of strength. When Hardik Pandya smashes it, he is usually not hesitant. His workmanship is clear, and his thoughts are clear as well. The South African batting coach Ashwell Prince evaluated Pandya’s strategy that evening, saying, “It was an outstanding innings.”
Hardik Pandya increased his A-game while other Indian batsmen were having trouble at the other end.
He began his bat with two sixes off Keshav Maharaj in three deliveries, demonstrating his strength, but the spinner wasn’t the only one who shown brutality. He was not quite as harsh on Marco Jansen, but he was as vicious on the pacers, Anrich Nortje and Lutho Sipamla. His off-side play was the night’s highlight.
His repertoire, which had previously been characterised by on-side strokes through and over long-on, mid-wicket, and square leg, now included two flat-batted knocks over mid-off, reflecting a welcome expansion. His increasing proficiency in off-side play was demonstrated. Additionally, Nortje’s upper was cut off to raise his fifty, which caused the audience to stand up.
“I needed to prove myself. Simultaneously, I noticed that the wicket was somewhat spicy. It was more about timing the ball than trying to shatter it, so you had to be a little brave. Pandya remarked of the amazing innings, “I was really happy with the way I was batting.” He was the clear choice to win Player of the Match.
Hardik Pandya has been out for two months, but during his recovery at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, he demonstrated unwavering dedication. “I don’t think much of the effort that goes into it, but these final 50 days of being apart from your loved ones, spending time at the NCA, and making sure everything is taken care of are all extremely important. “Coming here and seeing the results is really satisfying,” he remarked, shedding light on his recovery from the quadriceps injury he sustained prior to the Asia Cup final in September.
He came out to bowl two medium-paced overs after his batting fireworks, taking out the dangerous David Miller. The precious all-rounder Pandya was on full display. “Observe all of the current world cricket all-rounders. Does Ben Stokes have a backup for England? No. There is no backup for Ravindra Jadeja in one-day or even Test cricket. The same is true of Hardik Pandya.
“Just his batting can earn him a place in the top five. If he were only a bowler, he might rank among the top three seamers on any squad. The idea is that you have to earn your spot with both your hitting and bowling if you want to be that kind of all-around player. Former India coach Sanjay Bangar told the station, “There is no other player like Hardik Pandya in the Indian team,” highlighting Hardik Pandya importance.
India will need him in such a rhythm over the next several months when the World Cup arrives because it was the type of performance that only he could provide.
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