Hardik Pandya reveals the name of his 'number one love'

India, captained by the enigmatic Virat Kohli, recently locked horns with England in a three-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series. While the visiting team won the 20-overs fixtures 1-2, they had to bite the dust in the One-Dayers even after taking a 1-0 lead with a victory at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. The Test series begins on August 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

A number of players will be on show, Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik are two of them. Hardik has thus far played all the matches in India’s tour of the United Kingdom. He picked up a four-wicket-haul in the third and deciding T20I against the Three Lions in Bristol. But apart from that, the all-rounder hasn’t quite been able to curb the opposition batsmen with his prowess with the leather.

Karthik and Pandya’s friendship

Nevertheless, he was more or less decent with the willow. He scored a whirlwind 32 runs off nine deliveries against Ireland in Dublin and then went on to score 33 not out in Bristol. Most importantly, during that match, he stayed with Rohit Sharma, who notched his third century in T20Is, till the very end of the run-chase. He also chipped in with a fifty against Essex in Chelmsford.

Karthik, despite featuring in both the ODI and T20I series, didn’t get adequate opportunities to showcase his skills. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer replaced MS Dhoni in the second T20I against Ireland in Dublin and got his next chance in the last ODI against England in Leeds. The wicketkeeper-batsman is almost certain to feature in the Test team with Wriddhiman Saha, not in the squad.

Prior to the start of the series, both cricketers are having fun and the atmosphere in the team suggests that the team is in good stead ahead of their red-ball fixtures. Meanwhile, Pandya shared a moment of camaraderie along with Karthik on the social media. He took to Twitter, uploaded their picture and wrote, “My no. 1 love @DineshKarthik”.

Here is Hardik’s post

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