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Cricket PlayersHardik Pandya radiates unshakable aura, delivers boss treatment to cocky Sahibzada Farhan: ‘Didn’t blink or flinch’
Hardik Pandya's no-look wicket on dismissing Sahibzada Farhan is making waves on social media.
Hardik Pandya missed out with the bat, but the India all-rounder, with the ball in hand, ensured he did not disappoint against Pakistan. Hardik, coming into Sunday’s Group A fixture at Sri Lanka’s R. Premadasa Stadium, had scored a belligerent half-century against Namibia on Thursday. With a new tattoo, Hardik served some brand-new attitude to Sahibzada Farhan to rise to the occasion and pick up two wickets to lead India’s charge while defending a record 176-run target.
Hardik opened India’s bowling and delivered in the very first over, dismissing opener Farhan for a duck. Farhan made headlines for his comments on Jasprit Bumrah not too long ago, recalling his sixes against the India pacer during last year’s Asia Cup. Against Bumrah, Farhan scored 51 runs from 31 balls, smashing three sixes, and ensured that the world knew about his feat.
“Kya yeh wohi bowler hai jisko abhi tak chhakka nahi laga? Maine kaha yeh kaise ho sakta hai? Three innings, 150 runs akele. Jab hum khelte hai, toh yeh nahi dekhte ki saamne wala kaun hai. (Is this the bowler who has never been hit for a six? I thought, how is this possible? Three innings, 150 runs alone. When we play, we don’t see who is bowling),” he had said in a video.
And on Sunday evening, Hardik exacted revenge for Bumrah. Ideally, what does a bowler do when he induces a top edge from the batter? Immediately look up to spot the ball. Or at least, turn to the fielder getting under it. Right? Well, not Hardik. Pandya showed boss mentality, looking up towards Farhan with a dead-cold stare in his eyes. He knew the ball was going to land in the hands of Rinku Singh at long off.
One X user wrote: “Hardik Pandya did not blink, did not look at the ball, did not even flinch as Sahibzada Farhan lofted him. Bro risked his aura for that.”
Hardik's rare failure with the bat
Earlier, Hardik lasted just one ball at the crease. Trying to hoick Saim Ayub, he holed out to Babar Azam in the deep to be dismissed for a golden duck, the second duck of the inning after Abhishek Sharma’s four-ball stay. Once he dismissed Farhan, Hardik returned to clean up Usman Tariq for Pakistan’s last wicket as they were bundled out for 114. India's 61-run win against Pakistan meant that they became the first team to qualify for the Super 8s.
The stage was set by Ishan Kishan’s blistering innings of 77 in 40 balls. Despite losing the returning Abhishek four balls into the match, Ishan knocked the stuffing out of Pakistan’s bowlers, smoking 10 fours and three sixes. With contributions from Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma and cameos from Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh, India posted 175/7, the highest score ever in an India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match.
