Indian captain Hardik Pandya found himself at the receiving end of criticism for not letting his partner Tilak Varma, who was batting at 49, in the just-concluded 3rd T20I match against the West Indies.
After a wobbly start during the chase of 160, Suryakumar Yadav formed a brilliant 97-run stand for the third wicket with Tilak Varma. Hardik Pandya walked out to bat after Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for a magnificent 83 (44).
Hardik Pandya Didn’t Let Tilak Varma Complete His 50
Pandya walked out to bat when India just needed 37 runs to win in more than seven overs. At one point, Hardik was even heard asking Tilak to remain unbeaten and finish the game. He was heard saying:
“You’ve to finish the game now, stay till the end”.
With just two runs needed off 14 balls, Pandya swung a slower delivery by Rovman Powell over long-off for a six, finishing the game for the Indian cricket team with 7 wickets to spare and taking the series to 2-1.
Fans Are Calling Hardik Fifty
Meanwhile, the incident didn’t go down well with the fans, who are now trolling Hardik Pandya left, right and center. There are many who are calling Pandya a ‘selfish’ player for not letting Tilak complete his fifty.
Some of the fans drew comparisons with the 2014 T20 World Cup semi-final between India and South Africa where Dhoni won the hearts with his selfless gesture for Virat Kohli. In that game, former Indian captain MS Dhoni was on strike to face his first delivery when team India needed just one run off seven balls. Dhoni defended the ball and gave a now-popular nod to Virat Kohli, who was batting at 67(42) on the other as if to say “You finish it”.
That's why Hardik Pandya is a Captain and MS Dhoni is Great Captain.https://t.co/w4HzJhjOcF
— Himanshu Pareek (@Sports_Himanshu) August 8, 2023
Check out the reactions of fans:
