Team India’s stand-in captain Hardik Pandya, for the third ODI against West Indies in Trinidad on Tuesday 01 August 2023, credited Virat Kohli for his brilliant innings in the match. Hardik said a pointer from the senior batsman helped him. After getting out for 5 runs and 7 runs in the first two ODIs against West Indies, Hardik Pandya made 70 runs in 52 balls. The all-rounder started slow with the willow but was unstoppable once he found his rhythm.
Hardik Pandya hit four boundaries and five sixes to take India to 351/5. On the other hand, the bowlers did their job brilliantly and all out the host for 151 runs in 35.3 overs. Speaking at the post-match presentation the stand-in captain opened up about his discussions with Virat Kohli.
Pandya said:
“I had a very wonderful chat with Virat a couple of days back, and the kind of input he gave me, he has seen me throughout the years. It’s been almost seven or eight years of international cricket and he has seen me from day one. He had some pointers which really helped me,”
Asked what advice the veteran batsman gave him, Pandya replied:
“He just wanted me to spend some time on the crease and get used to the 50 or game as well because we have played so many T20 formats and yeah, that kind of stayed in my mind and I was just waiting for the opportunity. I’m really thankful to him as well to kind of share that experience with me.”
🇮🇳🏆 Onto the T20s pic.twitter.com/G79gSJzanE
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) August 2, 2023
Before Hardik Pandya, Ishaan Kishan hit 77 runs in 64 balls, Shubman Gill hit 85 runs in 92 balls and Sanju Samson hit 51 runs in 41 balls also weakened the Windies’ attack by scoring half-centuries.
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Virat and Rohit Are a Very Integral Part of The Team – Hardik Pandya
Despite the series being tied, the Indian management rested Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma for the second game in a row. Hardik Pandya defended the move and pointed out that it was important to give exposure to young players.
“Virat and Rohit are a very integral part of the team. And, you know, obviously, this was very important for someone like Rutu to get a game or Axar to get a game because they’ve been playing cricket for so many years, they know how exactly all these situations have been. So kind of giving them the youngsters exposure and kind of making sure that if we want to check something, we have the opportunity to do it,” the all-rounder commented.
