“Only three minutes” - When Hardik Pandya gave a hilarious twist to his outburst after run-out in Champions Trophy 2017 final against Pakistan
Indian fans will perhaps never forget the sight of all-rounder Hardik Pandya storming off the field after getting run-out in the 2017 Champions Trophy final against Pakistan at the Kennington Oval in London. His dismissal in the summit clash dashed whatever faint hopes the Men in Blue had of winning the title.
Chasing a massive target of 339, Team India had slumped to 72-6 after 17 overs as left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir (3-16) ran through the in-form top-order, comprising Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Pandya, however, gave India hope with a sensational innings. He slammed four fours and six sixes in a brutal assault on the Pakistan bowlers.
Pandya was the dominant partner in a seventh-wicket stand of 80 with Ravindra Jadeja. He was, however, dismissed for 76 off 43 balls following a mix-up with Jadeja. The all-rounder was seething in anger as he left the ground.
While the reaction grabbed plenty of limelight, in an interview with PTI in July 2017, just a few days after the final, Pandya downplayed the incident. He commented:
“It took a lot of time. Only three minutes to be honest. It was just an outburst. I get hyper quickly and after few minutes I was laughing in the dressing room. Looking at me, some of the players were laughing too."
Later, in an interaction with ICC, the Baroda cricketer revealed that he had apologized to Jadeja over his behavior. Pandya was quoted as saying:
“I went to the dressing room, I talked to Jaddu and I said I’m extremely sorry. I told him it was just anger and not intentional. I’m not a bad guy."
Pandya's run-out in the 2017 Champions Trophy final left India in further trouble at 152-7. Jadeja fell soon after, caught at widish slip off left-arm pacer Junaid Khan for an ungainly 15 off 26 balls. India were all-out for 158 in 30.3 overs, losing the final to Pakistan by a whopping margin of 180 runs.
Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are part of India's 2025 Champions Trophy squad
Pandya and Jadeja are among only four Indian players from the 2017 Champions Trophy squad who will be featuring in the 2025 edition. Skipper Rohit Sharma and his predecessor Virat Kohli are the other players who were also part of the 2017 edition and have made it to the 2025 squad as well.
Lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah was named in the provisional Champions Trophy 2025 squad. However, he was subsequently ruled out due to a lower back injury and was replaced by Harshit Rana. The selectors also brought in spinner Varun Chakaravarthy for opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.