Hardik Pandya's 3 best spells ever vs Pakistan ft. T20 World Cup 2024
Hardik Pandya produced another impressive bowling display as India secured a thrilling six-run victory over Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup on Sunday, June 9, in New York. After Indian batters managed only 119, the bowling unit rose to the occasion and defended it in some style.
Ahead of the T20 World Cup, there were doubts over Pandya's fitness and form, as he had a disastrous IPL 2024 season, with 216 runs and 11 wickets in 14 games. Moreover, after being announced as vice-captain, many fans disagreed with the choice made by selectors and team management.
However, with five wickets in two games, Hardik Pandya has displayed his match-winning abilities on the biggest stage On that note, let's take a look at the three finest performances by Pandya against Pakistan.
#3 2/24, T20 World Cup 2024
The IND-PAK game in the T20 World Cup 2024 was a riveting contest, as the Pakistan bowling unit bowled out India for 119. Not many were counting on India to win the game, but Jasprit Bumrah's dismissal of Babar Azam opened the floodgates for the Men in Blue.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya conceded 18 runs off the first two overs, and needed to put the batters under check and pick up crucial wickets to keep India in the hunt. He certainly did that by foxing Fakhar Zaman with a bouncer by sensing his urge to come down the track. As a result, Zaman had no room to play a shot and his top edge was caught by keeper, Rishabh Pant.
In his final over, Pandya banged in another short-pitched delivery to follow Shadab Khan. The latter's failure to make a room resulted in the pull only getting the top edge as he holed out to Pant. The 30-year-old finished with figures of 2/24 to help India secure a memorable victory.
#2 3/30, T20 World Cup 2022
In a high-octane clash in the T20 World Cup 2022 in MCG, India were desperate to secure a victory against Pakistan after losing them by 10 wickets in the 2021 edition. Arshdeep Singh secured a double strike for India by dismissing Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
In the middle overs, Hardik Pandya used the longer boundary to his advantage, as he banged in short and didn't give enough room to the batters. As a result, he secured quick wickets of Shadab Khan and Haider Ali, who tried to slog him towards the bigger boundary but could only get caught by Suryakumar Yadav at the long-on region.
Pandya's cunning smile caught fan's attention, as he trapped Ali in this plan.
Pandya's short-pitched delivery also saw him dismissing Mohammad Nawaz as well. As a result, he finished with figures of 3/30 and restricted Pakistan to 159. Then, he contributed a clutch 40 off 37 and stitched a 113-run stand with Virat Kohli (82*) to lead India to a famous win.
#1 3/8, Asia Cup 2016
This performance of Hardik Pandya remains special as it was his first-ever appearance in the India-Pakistan game. With the Men in Green ending the powerplay at a precarious 32/3, Pandya was introduced into the attack amid a purchase from the surface at Dhaka.
It was a quiet over, with only three runs off the first five deliveries. The final ball saw Pandya pitching a good length outside the off-stump, inviting Shoaib Malik to drive the ball. Instead, his thick edge was caught by keeper MS Dhoni as the all-rounder went into jubilation by leaping up in the air and clicking his heels like Brett Lee.
After keeping the batters in check off the first three overs, Pandya secured back-to-back wickets of Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Sami in his final over to bundle out Pakistan for a paltry 83. He returned with terrific figures of 3/8, which ultimately resulted in India winning the game by five wickets.