Hardik Pandya joins Shane Watson in elite list with his all-round display in series decider

Hardik Pandya joins Shane Watson in elite list with his all-round display in series decider

Hardik Pandya was also named the Player of the Series in the three-match series in England.

Hardik Pandya Maiden T20I Fifty
Hardik Pandya (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI)

India won the ODI series 2-1 in the recently concluded England tour on July 17, Sunday, which was also their first ODI series win in the country since 2014. Indian star all-rounder Hardik Pandya was named the Player of the Series for his all-round performance. He picked a four-fer before scoring a match-winning fifty to achieve a unique feat in the final ODI.

In the third ODI in Old Trafford, Manchester, Pandya registered his career-best bowling figures of four wickets for 24 runs and scored 71 runs with the bat. He became only the fifth Indian to take four wickets and score a half-century in an ODI, after Kris Srikanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh, and the second player to achieve this double in both ODIs and T20Is after Australia’s Shane Watson.

Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant steered India’s chase at Old Trafford

Speaking of the game, India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to field first for the third time in the series. Opener Jonny Bairstow and number three batter Joe Root were both dismissed for a duck. Jason Roy, at the top, scored a quickfire 41 runs off 31 balls, and Ben Stokes, in the middle, scored 27 runs off 29 balls.

England’s top scorer was the skipper, Jos Buttler, with 60 runs off 80 balls, and the finishing job was done by Craig Overton at number nine with 32 runs off 33 balls. England were bowled out for 259 in 45.5 overs, and the pick of the Indian bowlers was Pandya.

During India’s chase, the top-order failed yet again, and India were struggling at 38 for the loss of three wickets after 8.1 overs. Later, India were reduced to 72 for four wickets, and it was Pandya and Rishabh Pant on the crease. The duo added 133 runs for the fifth wicket and put India in a commanding position.

After Pandya got out in the 36th over, scoring 71 runs off 55 balls, with India needing 55 runs off 87 balls, Pant saw off the chase with an unbeaten 125 off 113 balls, and India won by five wickets and 47 balls to spare. Pant was given the Player of the Match for his performance with the bat. Next in line for India is a tour to West Indies for three ODIs and five T20Is.