AHMEDABAD: Indian captain Hardik Pandya was visibly surprised when he was adjudged the player of the tournament after winning the third Twenty20 match and series against New Zealand. Yesterday’s four-wicket haul was the only notable performance by Hardik in India’s 2-1 series win.
But the fact remains that Hardik’s valuable contributions in every match of the series have strengthened the team. Especially as a captain and as a powerplay bowler. Hardik’s incredible brilliance as a captain led the team to win the next two matches after losing the first match. Hardik, who has led India in four Twenty20 series so far, has won every series.
Hardik Pandya has proved that he is the captain of the players through the matches so far. Hardik declares that if the team loses under his leadership, it is because of his decisions and he is ready to take responsibility for the fall.
“I have a very simple rule about my life and captaincy: if I’m disappointed, it will reflect in my decisions. So finally I make my own decision because I like to take responsibility. When the IPL final was played, the second innings seemed to be more enjoyable. Wants to normalize stressful matches. Hope to perform well at these stages.” – Hardik’s words after winning the third Twenty20 against New Zealand. India’s 168-run win over the Kiwis in Ahmedabad is the biggest run-wise win in a match between full-time members in the Twenty20 format.
After receiving the trophy for the series winners, Hardik Pandya handed over the trophy to Prithi Shah, who did not get a chance in a single match in the series, which also shows the ‘height’ of the captain in Hardik. Perhaps it was Hardik’s tactful intervention to see Prithi Shah at his most excited despite not playing a single match. Hardik faced a lot of criticism for retaining Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan as openers even after losing the first two matches of the series.
Although Ishan failed yesterday too, Shubman Gill’s century achievement silenced those who criticized him for not being a star for the Twenty20 format. Hardik’s support and encouragement to Gill as captain was evident at the crease yesterday. When the duo combined for the fourth wicket, fans could see the captain cheering Gill’s every shot. Shubman Gill returned from the crease unbeaten with his first career Twenty20 century and the highest score (126*) by an Indian in Twenty20.
English Summary: Hardik Pandya takes trophy and hands it over to ‘shocked’ Prithvi Shaw in unexpected move after India beat NZ