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Picture Credit: Twitter

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya held his nerve on Sunday evening as he guided Team India to a five-wicket win against arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asia Cup 2022 opener in Dubai. The Baroda cricketer was awarded the Player of the Match award for his all-round performance as he scalped three wickets and remained unbeaten on 33 off 17 deliveries, finishing the game with a last-over six.

 

Hardik was at his best against Pakistan as he showcased incredible finishing abilities by not only keeping the required run rate under check but also helping India get across the line. Post-match, Hardik credited former Indian skipper MS Dhoni for teaching him the ability to stay calm in such crucial situations and spoke at length about his tactics during his run chase against Pakistan.

While Hardik was speaking about MS Dhoni’s ability to remain calm and how it has influenced his game and helped him to understand the nitty-gritty of the game, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir, who has had his differences with MS Dhoni in the past, was also present.

 

Notably, Hardik joined presenter Jatin Sapru and Gautam Gambhir in the post-match show on Star Sports where the all-rounder was asked about the influence of MS Dhoni on him. Ever since the incident, the video of the same has gone viral on social media. A couple of twitter users were quick to notice Gambhir’s reaction while Hardik was speaking highly of Dhoni.

 

Adding further, the cricketer admitted that he tried to keep things simple and has learned a lot from every cricketer he played with. "I believe in the fact one must remain calm and assess the situation before taking any decision. So, I applied the same method during the game and was constantly assessing the game plan to shift gears accordingly," Hardik concluded.

 

Apart from Hardik, Ravindra Jadeja's 35 off 29 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar's four wickets were noteworthy performances from Men in Blue. Team India will next lock horns with Hong Kong on August 31 in their final league stage game.