"Absolute clutch player!!"- Fans hail Hardik Pandya for a fantastic cameo in India vs England semifinal
Hardik Pandya's brilliant knock of 63 (in 33 balls) helped Team India get to a competitive total of 168/6 in their T20 World Cup encounter against England at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
The all-rounder's onslaught towards the end meant that the Men in Blue scored as many as 68 runs in their last five overs and have given their bowlers a fighting chance in the crucial semifinal.
Fans on Twitter were initially a bit disappointed by Hardik's slow start and felt that Rishabh Pant should probably have been sent ahead. However, the 29-year-old proved all his critics wrong and they hailed him for turning up when it mattered the most.
Here are some of the reactions:
Hardik Panya coming back to form at the right time https://t.co/BlQCcQWN4A
Uth, sar jhuka, salam thok, rasta naap!
Hardik Pandya 🙏
An innings to remember for Hardik Pandya - 63 from just 33 balls in the Semi Finals against England. He scored 50 runs in the last 18 balls.
Take a bow, Hardik! https://t.co/k56U87NhCI
Irrfan pathaan in the pre match interview asked hardik
"Ham aapse badi inning kab dekhenge"
To which hardik replied " Ek ghante me "
I want to be this confident
#INDvENG
@CricCrazyJohns Sorry Hardik from entire country ♥️ #INDvENG https://t.co/W2earCzG1R
Hardik Pandya, absolute clutch player!! Always performs in big matches.
Hardik owning both Curran and Stokes in a single delivery. Things we love to see.
Well played Hardik Pandya. Easily the best T20I Innings he has ever played. Big KO match team at 100-3 in 15 overs, he has lifted ICT to 168. Great knock 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/LOEz1ywqP8
HARDIK FKN PANDYA 😭😭😭 Man sacrificed Pant for the greater good and made sure it doesn't go in vain. Kallis who?!?!?!
Hardik Pandya you beauty. Delivered when it mattered the most. 🔥 #INDvsENG
Hardik Pandya couldn't get going straight away
Hardik Pandya walked out to bat in a pretty tricky stage for India as they lost an in-form Suryakumar Yadav for just 14. Virat Kohli at the other end kept the scoreboard ticking, but Hardik struggled to find his timing from the get-go.
The all-rounder had scored just 13 runs from his first 15 balls and it seemed like it was a poor decision from the team management to not send Rishabh Pant ahead of him. However, he suddenly started finding the middle of the bat and began to change the momentum of the Indian innings.
Sam Curran and Chris Jordan, both being England's death overs specialists, couldn't stop Hardik from unleashing some of his trademark flicks over the leg side for boundaries and sixes.
Suddenly from struggling to reach the 150-run mark, Hardik Pandya took India to 168. The Men in Blue haven't started in the best possible fashion with the ball and will need a cluster of wickets to get back into the game.
England: Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid
India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh