Hardik Pandya played some finishing shots in India’s commanding victory over Bangladesh in the first T20I. The all-rounder remained unbeaten on 39 runs off just 16 balls as he sealed the deal with two fours and a six off successive balls. For context, Pandya bowled his full quota of four overs—just like he has been doing in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup—to return with figures of 1/26.
While Arshdeep Singh was the Player of the Match for his brilliant bowling figures of 3/14, Pandya’s thrilling finish was a game-definer. However, former India fast bowler RP Singh felt this shouldn’t be a yardstick when measuring Pandya’s form, as Bangladesh hasn’t been doing well in international cricket for some time now.
Judging a player’s proper form based on a performance against Bangladesh isn’t appropriate. The team’s current level of play is not at its peak,” Singh said during a media interaction on Tuesday. He seemed to agree with Pandya’s capabilities but mentioned that assessing his performance against a stronger opponent would provide a clear picture.
Pandya sealed it with a ramp shot over the fine leg off Taskin Ahmed in carefree style, sent another one powerfully on the leg side, and finished the chase with a six to show his confidence and swagger. “Bangladesh never pushed India hard enough for Pandya to have to make any big decisions in that innings,” Singh said. “The team was so close to winning for him to play freely.”.
The joy was unmistakable on the face of Harbhajan Singh, who felt nice to see Hardik Pandya bowl his full quota of overs after doubts over his fitness and whether he would be able to bowl as an allrounder. “His batting has always been good but improved a lot in his bowling and fitness,” Singh said. He, however, felt that while Pandya’s performance was nice, more considerable challenges await the team.
