It would not be wrong to say that Hardik Pandya is currently going through a purple patch in his cricket journey. Since IPL 2022, he has been consistently showing remarkable performances with the bat, ball or through his leadership.
After leading budding Gujarat Titans to a memorable IPL title win in May, Pandya was given a chance to lead India in two T20Is against Ireland and true to his form, the all-rounder made a clean sweep.
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The 28-year-old has received a flurry of handing over the T20I captaincy given his recent success and form. On Thursday, he put on another impressive performance starring in India’s big win over England in Southampton.
With the bat first, Pandya scored 51 runs in 33 with the help of six fours and a six and then he took four crucial wickets including Jason Roy, David Malan, Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran. No prize for guessing, he was voted player of the match.
the former India Opener Aakash Chopra is heavily influenced by Pandya and has marked him as the most valuable T20I cricketer in India at present.
“He is becoming India’s most valuable T20 player,” Chopra said on his official YouTube channel. “There is no one like him. If you are fit enough you can pit him against anyone. He is India’s best T20 player. He has proved it by scoring a half-century and then taking four wickets.”
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Pandya says that he is enjoying his game and is spending a lot of time on his fitness.
“I am enjoying my cricket right now. It takes a long time for me to prepare my body. The kind of break I took before this game, I want to capitalize on the opportunities. I thought I needed that break,” Pandya said during the post-match presentation.
“It’s about giving my 100% and when you don’t, there’s no point in playing. That’s why I needed that break and now I’m happy to be in this place,” he said.
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