India clinched an incredible victory in another high-intensity fixture against Pakistan as they chased down the 148-run total with a flurry by Hardik Pandya, who scored a match-winning 33 in 17 balls. This batting display followed a dominant bowling display as the Men in Blue bundled out Pakistan for 147 with great bowling performances by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pandya.
The Gujarat Titans captain was awarded the Player of the match for his all-around showing at the Dubai International Stadium. Pandya looked incredible in 2022 as he made an inspiring comeback after recovering from a massive acute lower back injury.
Addressing this feat, Hardik posted a special photo on his social media platforms which portrays his journey from being stretched out to celebrating this victory. The post was captain, “The comeback is greater than the setback.”
Check the post here:
Hardik Pandya’s return to top-flight cricket was at the Indian Premier League where he led the Gujarat-based franchise to the title in their maiden season. He then had incredible performances on the South Africa home tour. Pandya then carried this form into the Ireland tour where he led the Indian team to a 3-0 victory. He also performed well on the England tour and reclaimed his spot in the team.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma also praised his former Mumbai Indians teammate for his fantastic performance against Pakistan and his development through his recovery from the injury. He said, “Since the time he (Hardik) has made his comeback, he's been brilliant. When he was not part of the team, he figured what he needs to do to his body and his fitness regime, and now he is clocking 140+ easily. His batting quality we all know and it's been brilliant since his comeback.”
“He is a lot calmer now and more confident about what he wants to do, whether it's with the bat or with the ball. He can bowl really quick, we saw that today with those short balls. It was always about just understanding his game and he's doing that well now. In a high-pressure chase with 10 r.p.o needed, you can panic but he never showed any of that,” he continued.
