'I don't think what happened was possible' - Hardik Pandya on India's dramatic win over Bangladesh in 2016 T20 WC

India and Bangladesh have emerged as new rivals in cricket over the last few years. Both the teams have some extremely competitive cricket with, of course, Bangladesh immensely improving its standard. The matches have gone down the wire at times and one of them was the 2016 T20 World Cup encounter between the two sides in Bangalore. The Tigers were set to upset the hosts India and also knock them out of the tournament.

They needed two runs to win off three balls with Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah in the middle. But both the experienced players tried to go for the glory shot and India ended up winning the game by one run. Hardik Pandya had bowled that memorable last over and still remembers it vividly. Recalling India’s miraculous victory, the all-rounder still feels he never thought the team could win after two runs were needed.

Talking to Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz in Conversation, Hardik Pandya stated that he would have definitely gone for a single to secure the game first before trying for a big shot. “I’ll be honest, I don’t think what happened was possible. Even at that time, I thought if I was there, I would have taken a single and secured a win. And then I’d have gone for the signature shot to finish it with a six and all of that,” he said.

Hardik Pandya reveals the strategy

The 26-year-old also thought that Mushfiqur Rahim will go for a single when only a couple of runs were needed for Bangladesh to win. Accordingly, he decided to bowl a back of a length delivery presuming that it would be tough for the batsman to take a single off it. However, Rahim’s ideas were completely opposite and he tried to hit a big shot only to get out.

“I was thinking which is the most difficult ball if someone wants to take a single. So I thought back of the length is something where it’d be difficult if you want to hit, and similarly, it isn’t easy to take a single on it as well. You have to play it well to get a run out of it. But he went for a big shot and that is why he got out,” Hardik Pandya further said.

As far as India is concerned, the team then defeated Australia to make it to the semi-final. Unfortunately, West Indies stopped their juggernaut at the Wankhede and eventually went on to become the champions.