[Watch] Wayne Parnell's 'hearty' send-off to Hardik Pandya after stunning clean-bowl
South African left-arm pacer Wayne Parnell ended Hardik Pandya's lackluster knock in the second T20I on Sunday in stunning fashion and followed it up with a unique celebration.
Pandya, batting at No. 5, struggled to find gaps as he attempted to rebuild India's innings with Shreyas Iyer on a two-paced pitch at the Barabati Stadium. The all-rounder was at 9 (12) when Parnell got one to nip back from around the wicket.
The 28-year-old made room and attempted a cut shot but the ball was too quick for him. It didn't bounce much either and sneaked past his bat to rattle the leg-stump. It deserved a celebration and the fast-bowler shaped his fingers into a heart sign while staring straight at the departing batter.
Here's a video of Pandya's dismissal:
The vice-captain's wicket left India reeling at 90/4 after 12.4 overs.
Earlier, opener Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed in the first over by Kagiso Rabada. His partner Ishan Kishan looked in better touch than in the last game, scoring 34 (21), but couldn't keep out a pacy short-ball from Anrich Nortje, holing it to deep square leg.
Skipper Rishabh Pant didn't trouble the scorers much, going for 5 (7) after falling into spinner Keshav Maharaj's wide-line trap.
Shreyas Iyer follows Hardik Pandya, India reaches 148
Shreyas Iyer is the Top Performer from the first innings for his knock of 40 off 35 deliveries.
A look at his batting summary here 👇👇
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With wickets falling at the other end, Iyer played the anchor's role nicely. But after reaching 40, he was dismissed caught behind by Dwaine Pretorius' smart good-length delivery. It all came down to one of IPL 2022's most eye-catching performers, and India's T20 World Cup probable - Dinesh Karthik.
The 37-year-old didn't look comfortable initially but came into his own in the last two overs. He hit two boundaries against Nortje in the 19th and followed it up with two maximums against Pretorius in the 20th over, pushing the score to a respectable 148/6.
You can catch the live proceedings of South Africa's innings here.