Team India registered a brilliant win over West Indies in the third T20I, thus staying alive in the five-match series. The Hardik Pandya-led outplayed the Windies in all departments, beating them by seven wickets to open its account; Suryakumar Yadav was the star of the day, smashing a brilliant 83 while Tilak Varma also remained unbeaten on 49 in the 160-run chase. Indian captain Hardik Pandya delivered the side a win with a six, but a minor controversy erupted even in victory, as many criticised the skipper of denying Tilak a shot at half-century.
The Indian youngster, playing in his maiden international series, has impressed with solid performances in three games. With a third-successive 30+ score on Tuesday, Tilak became the first Indian to achieve the feat in first three T20Is. Moreover, the player had also scored a fifty in the previous game. In the 3rd T20I, however, Tilak – who had been the highest run-getter in both matches – played second-fiddle to an aggressive Suryakumar, and eventually stayed unbeaten one short of a half-century.
Also read: Watch: Stump mic picks Hardik Pandya's exact words to Tilak Varma moments before winning six that attracted criticism
As criticism over Hardik's six gathered pace on social media, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan posted a cryptic tweet, which many believe is a dig at the Indian skipper. The tweet read, "Mushkil kaam aap karo, Asaan kaam mein Kar leta hoo. Suna suna Sa lagta hai… (You do the tough task, I'll do the easy work. I've heard this before…)
{{/usCountry}}As criticism over Hardik's six gathered pace on social media, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan posted a cryptic tweet, which many believe is a dig at the Indian skipper. The tweet read, "Mushkil kaam aap karo, Asaan kaam mein Kar leta hoo. Suna suna Sa lagta hai… (You do the tough task, I'll do the easy work. I've heard this before…)
{{/usCountry}}While Irfan is yet to post a clarification on whom the tweet was aimed at, many speculated that Irfan attacked Hardik Pandya for coming lower down the order. In fact, many also related the tweet to former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Here's how fans reacted:
While the fans continue to speculate over the tweet's intention, it's worth noting that Hardik usually bats at no.5 in the batting order in T20Is. The all-rounder does, however, promote himself at three or four from time-to-time in the Indian Premier League, where he captains Gujarat Titans.
Hardik is currently the vice-captain of the Indian ODI team as well, and led the side in the second and third ODIs after Rohit Sharma opted to rest. India eventually won the series 2-1. The all-rounder is set to play a key role for the side in the upcoming marquee tournaments, that include the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup.