Hardik Pandya vents out frustration after being caught off a high full toss
Pandya was at his hitting best as he scored 45 runs with a strike rate of over 200.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya refused to walk off despite being caught by Trent Boult in the final ODI against New Zealand on Sunday. Pandya, who let his bat do the talking in an innings that showed a lot of character, was dejected after his dismissal as he thought the waist-high ball should have been declared as a no-ball and it would have earned him an extended life. Boult after taking a commendable catch had in fact also thrown the ball attempting to run the batsman out.
A frustrated Pandya was seen smashing his hand on his head, and this forced the on-field umpire to consult the third umpire, but the eventual decision was in favour of Boult. Pandya came in to bat at No 8 for India and justified why he was held back. He smashed 45 off just 22 balls to take India to 252/10 at the end of the 50 overs. His innings included 2 fours and 5 sixes, three of which were consecutive.
New Zealand did not get off to a good start in the chase, losing Henry Nicholls first for 8 and then Colin Munro for 24. Mohammed Shami finished with figures of 2 for 35 in his 10 overs. He was also adjudged as the Player of the series. The fondest moment of the match was MS Dhoni running out Jimmy Neesham (44). Dhoni quickly collected the ball and hit the stumps, living up to his reputation of being the best in the wicketkeeping business.
Pandya’s return ends the Koffee controversy
Pandya’s terrific batting shut critics who were in support of his ban from the New Zealand ODIs, following the misogynist remarks he made on the popular coffee show Koffee with Karan. It was even argued that the young all-rounder should not be allowed to play in the Indian Premier League and the subsequent World Cup, but once Rahul Dravid came out and asked the board to go easy on the punishment, Hardik was sent to New Zealand while KL Rahul played the India A series.
Here is the video of Pandya’s reaction:
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