After a series of close contests, India emerged victorious in their first T20 encounter of the ongoing 2023 India vs West Indies series. They secured a convincing seven-wicket win with 13 balls to spare during the 3rd T20 match in Georgetown on Tuesday, August 8. This win helped them level the series at 2-1. Interestingly, Hardik Pandya faced criticism from Indian fans on Twitter. They labeled him as “selfish” for his actions during the game.
During the 18th over of the match, Hardik Pandya struck the winning six, resulting in Tilak Varma being left stranded on 49 runs, agonizingly close to scoring his second international half-century. Although the T20 skipper contributed a 15-ball 20, fans criticized his actions, branding him as “selfish” and questioning his suitability to lead the team.
The incident sparked a strong reaction from fans, leading to widespread trolling of Hardik Pandya across social media platforms. Many fans drew parallels with a memorable moment from the 2014 T20 World Cup semi-final between India and South Africa. In that match, the former Indian captain MS Dhoni had displayed a selfless gesture for Virat Kohli. As the situation demanded just one run from seven balls, Dhoni defended the ball, signaling to Virat Kohli to finish the game, a moment that captured hearts.
Suryakumar Yadav’s impressive innings of 83 runs from 44 balls set the stage for India’s pursuit of the 160-run target. The icing on the cake came from skipper Hardik Pandya, who concluded the match in style with a well-timed maximum. The chase commenced with a setback as debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed with a score of 1(2) by Obed McCoy. A misjudged shot from Jaiswal ended up in the hands of Alzarri Joseph at mid-on.
Struggling to find his form, Shubman Gill faced another setback, failing to make an impact with his bat in unfamiliar conditions. The fifth over underscored Gill’s struggle as Alzarri Joseph dismissed him with a short-length delivery, accompanied by an audible sigh of disappointment from Gill. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma then took charge, forming an essential 87-run partnership that anchored India’s innings. While Suryakumar couldn’t guide the team to the finish line, skipper Hardik’s brief but impactful cameo tilted the series to a 2-1 lead in India’s favor.
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