Indian captain Virat Kohli backed Hardik Pandya in the post-match press conference after the final of ICC Champions Trophy 2017, when he was asked about all-rounder’s animated reaction after his unfortunate dismissal in the match. Kohli, who is himself a very emotional and aggressive cricketer, said that Pandya is a passionate cricketer and he was in a zone where he thought he could have done some special for India. Pandya, after he got run out, first yelled at his partner Ravindra Jadeja and then kept screaming in anger while going back to the pavilion.
Pandya was batting brilliantly on 76 off just 43 balls when a moment of misunderstanding between him and Jadeja led to an easy run out for Pakistan. Pandya was hitting the ball very clean and looking set for something special. In his innings, the dashing all-rounder from Baroda smashed 6 towering sixes and 4 boundaries.
When asked about Hardik’s animated celebration, this is what Virat Kohli said:
“Everyone who plays for the country is committed to the team. He is passionate and he felt he was in the zone where he thought he could have done something special for the team today.”
