Happy Birthday Hardik Pandya: Mumbai Indians and Team India all-rounder turns 28
Hardik Pandya
Indian cricket star Hardik Pandya is celebrating his 28th birthday today. Before making his international cricket debut, he stepped into the limelight when the young all-rounder caught the eye of the Mumbai Indians’ talent scout and was selected in 2015.
Hardik, known for being a total package with his brilliant field, express bowling and badass punches, made his international debut against Australia in a T20I in 2016. He has represented India in 11 tests, 62 ODIs and 49 T20Is.
When the all-rounder turns 28, we take a look at the top moments of his career:
21 of 8 against CSK, IPL (2015)
The Mumbai Indians were on the verge of defeat as they needed 30 balls out of 12. The Chennai Super Kings have the upper hand as they played Chepauk in their home stadium. MS Dhoni handed the 19th to Pawan Negi but Hardik scored 21 of 8 balls to secure Mumbai’s victory. This knock not only boosted his confidence, but was also applauded by then MI trainer Ricky Ponting.
Hardik Pandya
2 for 29 against Bangladesh, T20 World Cup (2016)
Bangladesh needed 11 runs in the last over. MS Dhoni trusted Pandya and let him play the final. After 2 fours, Bangladesh was close to victory as they needed 2 on 3 balls, but Pandya dismissed two batsmen in two balls before bowling a good delivery outside for the batsman to miss the final ball. Dhoni did the rest of the job, removing his glove and performing the batsman to ensure victory for India.
Hardik Pandya
91 of 34 compared to KKR, IPL (2019)
The Mumbai Indians faced a difficult task as they had 233 left to chase after Andre Russell’s attack. Pandya tried his best to secure MI victory after decimating the KKR bowling attack. Sadly, his 91 out of 34 wasn’t enough to avoid defeat, but his innings have burned themselves into the minds of fans who witnessed it.
76 of 43 against Pakistan, Champions Trophy Final 2017
In the Champions Trophy final, India’s top and middle classes collapsed in a short time, in which a total of 339 were hunted. Pandya gave fans a little hope with a brutal attack. However, he was knocked out when India lost the game and the final by 180 runs, but his innings were a treat to watch
Hardik Pandya
108 of 96 against Sri Lanka, 2017
In the third test match against Sri Lanka, Pandya scored a barrel of rapid fire on the same day just before lunch. He faced 96 balls and smashed eight borders and seven sixes. Pandya equaled Virender Sehwag’s record, who hit seven sixes against Sri Lanka in 2009. He was the first Indian batsman to crack 26 runs in one over and beat Sandeep Patil’s previous record of 24 runs.
