Hardik Pandya misses out on Impact Player award (Source: X)
The beginning of the T20 World Cup journey can’t be better as Team India’s winning streak in the shortest format is growing strong. Against Namibia, the Men in Blue crushed the opposition by 93 runs, delivering fireworks that thrilled fans.
Among all the star-studded performances, Hardik Pandya’s unreal all-round performance stunned the world. Yet, despite his brilliance, the Impact Player Award went to Ishan Kishan, leaving fans stunned by the surprising choice.
Hardik Pandya dominates the game, but overlooked for Impact Player honor
After a thrilling victory against the USA in the first match, Team India faced Namibia in their second match, and the fans watched a dominating show in Delhi. Batting first, the Men in Blue looked solid at the start, but a sudden cluster of wickets shifted the momentum and created pressure. Just when the innings seemed to wobble, Hardik Pandya stepped in and turned the tide.
Holding the reins, he smashed an outstanding half-century and shifted the pressure on the opponent. Not just with the bat, Hardik created magic even with the ball. Coming to bowl in the 18th over, Hardik removed Bernard Scholtz and Ben Shikongo in two successive deliveries.
Although his all-round heroics stunned fans, he was overlooked for the Impact Player of the Match award. Wrapping up the game, Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir praised Ishan Kishan’s heroics on the field and delivered the award to him.
In the entire speech, he praised Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan’s heroics, but Hardik Pandya’s name was notably absent from that. His exceptional all-round brilliance went unnoticed, and that surprising omission quickly grabbed attention.
Ishan Kishan bags the medal
Since coming back to the team, Ishan Kishan has unleashed a whole new side of himself, which is even more destructive. In the ongoing tournament, the young Indian batter is in sublime touch and only channelled the same brilliance in the last clash against Namibia.
Coming to open the innings with Sanju Samson, he was in a fiery form since the beginning as the Namibian bowlers faced the heat. Smashing the ball all over the ground, he smashed a magnificent half-century in just 20 deliveries. In the eighth over, the destruction came to an end as he walked away scoring 61 runs in just 24 balls with a whopping strike rate of 254.16.
That outstanding effort didn’t go unnoticed as head coach Gautam Gambhir showered praises on him. Honouring his exceptional contribution, he was handed the Impact Player award while the entire dressing room erupted in applause for his brilliance.
Team India braces for the tournament’s biggest battle
With two consecutive victories in the tournament, Team India is riding high on their red-hot form. Along with batting heroics in the last match, the bowlers turned heads with their outstanding display.
As Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel secured two wickets each, Varun Chakravarthy’s outstanding spell stunned fans as he conceded just seven runs in two overs and secured three wickets with an economy rate of 3.50. With that domination, Team India registered a 93-run victory.
But the real test of the ongoing tournament is waiting for the Men in Blue. After weeks of anticipation, speculation, and nonstop buzz, the iconic India-Pakistan clash is finally set for February 15 in Colombo. The clash of the rivals is always the biggest attraction of the ICC tournament, and the world is ready to witness another new chapter of this.
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