‘My first love’, Hardik Pandya declares love on Instagram

Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik are quite close as was revealed by the wicket-keeper in an episode of Breakfast With Champions last month.

For all the on-field success the members of the Indian team has built a solid rapport with each other and often it trickles over to social media. Away from the clamour of the on-going Test series, all-rounder Hardik Pandya shared a picture of him with Dinesh Karthik and captioned “My No.1 love”.

India's Hardik Pandya bowls during the second one day international cricket match between England and India at Lord's. (AP)

Well, now this show of love enticed a response from Dipika Pallikal, Karthik’s wife.

The squash player, wrote “Clearly, I’ve been replaced. Thanks,” she wrote in a comment.

Hardik and Karthik are quite close as was revealed by the wicket-keeper in an episode of Breakfast With Champions last month.

It has been quite a journey for Dinesh Karthik over the last six months. From hitting the winning runs in the final of the Nidahas Trophy, to leading the Kolkata Knight Riders, to then being included in the Test team, the efforts he put in the din of domestic cricket has been rewarded.

He will keep wickets for India in the first Test match and it will be the first time since 2007, that the 32-year will play a Test series in England.

England won the toss and elected to bat first in the opening Test match. India dropped Cheteshwar Pujara and went in with three seamers and a lone spinner in R Ashwin. Hardik Pandya will the all-rounder in the side.

Described as the final frontier for captain Virat Kohli, this series gives the skipper to put away the demons of 2014 when he struggled to get going across the 10 innings.