Even though Team India failed to defend a total of 208 runs in the first T20I of the three-match against Australia on Tuesday (September 20), there were a couple of positives for the Men in Blue from that game. Opening batter KL Rahul finally managed to score runs at a quick pace to silence his critics, who had slammed him for his strike rate. Another good thing that happened for India was Hardik Pandya’s heroics at the death. The right-handed batter scored an unbeaten 71 runs from 30 balls to take India’s total past 200.
He batted with responsibility and kept the scorecard running to help his side post a big total. Impressed by his innings in the first match, former Australian all-rounder Matthew Hayden praised him by saying that the 28-year-old all-rounder has evolved a lot as a cricketer and his ability to stay calm and handle pressure is doing wonders.
He said that the Gujarat Titans skipper is one of the most adaptable cricketers going around and his self-belief has helped him become one of the finest all-rounders.
“He has got such great belief. Talent is one thing, but trusting the fact that you can be a match-winner and deliver on the day is another. We saw in the IPL that he batted at No. 4. We all thought ‘uh, how is he going to go about it?’. But he batted so well,” Hayden told Star Sports.
“He is such an adaptable cricketer. He has grown a lot as a cricketer. The biggest thing is his belief in himself. His ability to be able to read the situation, know the pressure is there and then handle it and deliver, it’s taking him to new levels,” the legendary batter added.
During his 71-run innings in the first T20I, Hardik scored seven boundaries and five sixes. He has improved as a cricketer by leaps and bounds ever since he made his comeback in the IPL earlier this year. He finished as the leading run getter for his IPL team, Gujarat Titans, and also picked up three wickets in the final to win the Player of the Match award.
