‘People are not talking about it much…’: Ex-India player gives verdict on Hardik Pandya’s bowling in T20 World Cup 2022
A former India cricketer gave his verdict on Hardik Pandya's bowling performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022.
With India qualifying for the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022's semi-finals, a lot of the credit should go to Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder has been crucial with the bowler for Rohit Sharma's side, which was further shown in their recent win against Bangladesh. Against Bangladesh, Pandya took two wickets, and his most memorable spell was probably in India's campaign opener vs Pakistan, where he took three wickets. The Gujarat Titans (GT) captain received plenty of praise from former player Parthiv Patel, who feels that the 29-year-old has gone under the radar in Australia.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, he said, "Hardik Pandya's bowling has gone under the radar. If you see during the India vs Pakistan game, he took two wickets in one over and from then onwards their momentum totally changed. In the win against Bangladesh also, he took two wickets in one over. People are not talking about it much but I feel his bowling performance has become a huge advantage for India."
Pandya has conceded only 112 runs in the ongoing World Cup, and is India's second-highest wicket-taker with eight wickets, behind Arshdeep Singh (10 wickets). With the bat, he proved to be crucial against Pakistan, where he registered 40 runs off 37 balls, including one four and two sixes. India successfully chased down a target of 160 runs, reaching 160 for six in 20 overs, courtesy of an unbeaten knock of 82 runs off 53 balls by Virat Kohli. Kohli also hammered six fours and four sixes.
After India's win vs Pakistan, Hardik said, "Even with three balls left, I told the boys, 'Even if we lose the game, it's okay.' I said I am proud the way we have fought in the game. We have been a team that has worked very hard individually, together, collectively. So even if we had lost the game, I would have still had a smile on my face and would have just said we gave it everything, and they were just good on that day."
"Somewhere down the line I have accepted the fact that this sport will give me ups and downs. The more ups I have the better, but even the downs I will cherish because failure teaches you a lot of things", he further added.
