Hardik Pandya speaks on his heroics in first T20I
India got back to winning ways against England after a dominating display in the first T20I against the hosts in Southampton. The Indian team outplayed their opponents on the day thanks to a magnificent all-round performance by a revitalized Hardik Pandya. The Indian star shared his experience after the series opener with Ishan Kishan in an interview for BCCI TV.
Pandya scored his maiden half-century for the Blues in T20Is as he revelled in the role of a finisher for the Indian team and then backed his impressive batting performance with an equally scintillating bowling display, grabbing his career-best figures of 4/33. He was adjudged the Player of the Match for his memorable outing against England.
Speaking to his compatriot and T20I teammate, Ishan Kishan, the 28-year-old opened up about his feelings after winning the series opener.
“Nothing special, feels like an ordinary day in the life. I got results for my efforts.”
“I was happier because of that, when I bowled that delivery at 90.5 mph, all the credit goes to the support staff behind the scenes, especially Soham Desai and Harsha, who have worked non-stop to prepare us for the matches after the Ireland series,” Pandya quirked when asked about his 146 kmph delivery in the match by Kishan.
‘It’s a great sign for Indian cricket’ – Hardik Pandya on India’s attacking intent in the first T20I
India were in an all-out attack from the get-go in their batting innings. Even after the early departure of the skipper and wickets at regular intervals, the Indian batters didn’t shy away from playing their shots at the crease and were looking for scoring opportunities from ball one. When Pandya was asked about his plans before coming to the bat, he said it was a simple and collective effort of just expressing yourself at the crease.
“It was very simple, as you already know it’s a conscious effort by everyone that we will make sure that we want to express ourselves and enjoy out there. It’s a great sign for Indian cricket, as all the batters showed positive intent. I was looking to play risk-free cricket, and batting higher up the order in the IPL has helped me in finding the gaps and hitting more boundaries. I have hit sixes my whole life but scoring boundaries content my heart more now,” Pandya concluded.
