Hardik Pandya may have received widespread criticism for his captaincy and form during IPL 2024, but the Indian all-rounder kickstarted his T20 World Cup on a high as he snapped three wickets against Ireland in India’s opening game.
On a pitch that troubled the batters with its two-paced nature, Pandya was India’s pick of the bowlers as the men in blue ran through the Ireland batting at the expense of only 96 runs.
“Always special to play for the country, always good to play for pride. I have been able to contribute in the World Cups, god has been kind,” Pandya told the broadcasters during the mid-innings break.
It was an expectedly good turnout for India’s first game at the World Cup in New York. Asked if it reminded him of the ambience familiar in Mumbai, where he’s played a lot of his cricket, Pandya said, “It’s always fantastic to see the crowd, we Indians are everywhere, we rule the world, good to have their support.”
When asked what was his personal favorite among his wickets, Pandya pointed to his dismissal of the Irish number three Lorcan Tucker in his very first over.
Tucker, looking to drive through the off side, missed out completely as the ball jagged back in sharply to affect his middle stump.
“I really liked the first wicket, don’t hit the stumps often as I usually bowl short of a length. I needed to be fuller than back of a length today. On this kind of surface you need to be disciplined and hit the right areas,” Pandya said.
Also among the wickets for India were Jasprit Bumrah (2/6), Arshdeep Singh (2/35), Mohammed Siraj (1/13) and Axar Patel (1/3). Commending Axar’s sharp caught and bowled dismissal, Pandya said, “That was an outstanding effort by Axar, those are the catches when you let your hand-eye co-ordination let in.”
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