The match was evenly poised when Virat Kohli was dismissed in the 43rd over of India’s chase in the semi-final against Australia on Tuesday. India still needed 40 runs off 42 balls to reach the target of 265.
Adam Zampa had one over left and the Australians relied on leggie Tanveer Sangha with the ball gripping on the slow Dubai surface. New man Hardik Pandya seemed undeterred by the task in the company of KL Rahul.
Stroke-making wasn’t easy and even Kohli had remodelled his game to rely more on singles and twos. Timing the ball was a bit of a struggle and the increasing number of dot balls was adding to the pressure.
Pandya took a while to get used to the conditions. After failing to score a run off the first four balls of a Sangha over, Pandya gave him the charge and lifted it straight over the bowler’s head for a six.
The message was clear, Pandya wouldn’t get bogged down by the circumstances. In the next over, the 47th of the innings, he decided to put it beyond the Aussies with two consecutive sixes off Zampa. It released a lot of tension in the dressing room and Pandya knew he had almost sealed their entry into the final.
“Do chakke marne hai wo kabhi bhi lagenge. Mujhe pata tha (I had to hit 2 sixes and I knew that I can hit them anytime)” said Hardik in a video posted by the BCCI.
“...I never thought what would happen inside (the dressing room), what would be the atmosphere of the dressing room... I knew people would be a little tensed inside. So I was laughing a little inside,” was his reading of the situation as he almost made a triumphant return to the dressing room to be greeted with cheers by Kohli and
other teammates after his dismissal in the next over.
When Pandya twisted his ankle in Pune during the 2023 World Cup, Rohit Sharma’s plans had almost gone awry until Mohammed Shami made full use of the opportunity. With Jasprit Bumrah out of the Champions Trophy, Pandya has been an integral part of the bowling combination.
A four-pronged spin attack has meant that India could go in with only one specialist pacer in Shami but Pandya has lived up to expectations as his new-ball partner.
When Pakistan were threatening to cut loose against India, Pandya struck removing Babar Azam at the outset and the dangerous-looking Saud Shakeel in the middle overs. It sucked the momentum out of the innings as Pakistan lost way. Pandya has stuck to the basics and exhibited his skill as a thinking bowler with control and discipline.
Pandya remains India’s most valuable player because of the assurance he brings to the table. He may not be as menacing as a Bumrah or a Shami but has it in him to cater to the team’s demands.
He has always been reliable with the bat. When India lost the 2017 Champions Trophy final to Pakistan, Pandya provided the sole resistance among the Indians before being run out for 76.
Sunday will be his chance to make amends.