Twitter Reactions: Hardik Pandya lets the ball do all the talking

The third Test between India and England is undoubtedly becoming more of a nail-biter with every passing run and ball. From budding opening partnerships to mammoth runs from the Indian skipper and vice-captain to the tail-enders crumbling under pressure, the Indian first innings was full of twists and turns. Now it’s time for the English batsmen to take over and that part seems to building up pretty well too, courtesy some stunning bowling from Hardik Pandya!

Having won the toss, England put in India to bat first and the visitors mustered a slightly below average total of 329 runs on a delectable Trent Bridge pitch. In reply, the English openers started off well, with both Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings looking to consolidate. However, the second innings of the second day found the Indian pacers come up with some top-notch bowling to get rid of the English top order.

Hardik Pandya stuns Joe Root & co.

The first session of play on the second day saw the Indian pacers remain largely ineffective with the new ball. However, the entire scenario swung faster than a pendulum in the post-lunch session where Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah scalped both the openers in consecutive deliveries, delivering a major blow to the hosts.

Soon after, it was Hardik Pandya’s turn to join the party as he managed to uproot the English skipper, Joe Root off the very first ball he bowled in the ongoing Test match. On his part, the lanky all-rounder bowled a perfect outswinger that kept Root guessing. Subsequently, the batsman ended up nicking it to the waiting hands of KL Rahul at second slip.

Twitter erupted in joy soon after Pandya clinched the prized wicket of Root. Even the English captain was left shaking his head in disbelief at the turn of events. Praises and accolades came pouring in, congratulating Pandya on his show of impeccable bowling skills and for achieving the feat of a valuable wicket on the very first delivery of his spell. Pandya later picked four other big wickets.

Here’s how Twitter reacted: