India's triumph in the T20 World Cup witnessed Hardik Pandya coming good both with the bat and ball in the big moments. It was redemption for the Baroda all-rounder after a poor IPL 2024 in his new role as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain.
The MI team management's decision to replace the proven Rohit Sharma as skipper did not go down well with the home supporters. Pandya, who was coming back after a freak injury cut short his 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, was the victim of rather unfair criticism. His loss of form and the poor run of MI made things worse for the new skipper.
Not long back he was in charge of the Indian T20I team after his success at the helm of Gujrat Titans. He led them to glory in IPL 2022 and took them to the final in the following year. The selectors and the Indian think tank did not doubt his abilities as they picked him as Rohit's deputy for the T20 World Cup. National selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar made it clear that a fit Pandya was irreplaceable.
The bowler-friendly conditions at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York meant Pandya was tough to get away in the group stage. The medium-pacer began with 3/27 against Ireland. He used the short ball to good effect as India edged Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring thriller. Pandya gave away only 24 runs while accounting for the dangerous Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan. The rhythm was back and, more importantly, he had bowled his full quota in both these games. It got even better for Pandya as he claimed 2/14 against co-hosts USA in another low-scoring game.
The confidence rubbed onto Pandya's batting as the action shifted to the Caribbean in the Super Eight phase. By then skipper Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid knew they could trust Pandya as the third seamer. They dropped Mohammed Siraj and included Kuldeep Yadav to bolster the spin department. Pandya's 24-ball 32 took India to 181/8 against Afghanistan at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados. He was needed to bowl only a couple of overs as India sealed a 47-run win.
Pandya smashed an unbeaten 50 off just 27 balls and followed it up with 1/32 off three overs as the Men in Blue crushed Bangladesh by 50 runs in Antigua. He also won the player-of-the-match award for his all-round show.
Pandya hit an unbeaten 27 off 17 balls and made sure India crossed the 200-run mark in their final Super Eight match against Australia after a special knock by Rohit (92 off 41 balls). He made the most of a missed chance by Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh and gave the bowlers a cushion of some extra runs. Though Pandya went for 47 off his four overs, India won the high-scoring game by 24 runs.
Pandya's breezy 23 off 11 balls lifted India to 171/7 against England on a slow, low track at the Providence Stadium in Guyana in the semifinals. Kuldeep and Axar's exploits meant Pandya had to bowl only one over as India marched into the final.
Pandya had a big role to play in the final. He faced just two balls during the Indian innings and remained unbeaten on five as India ended up with 176/7 at the Kensington Oval. He was introduced only in the tenth over of the innings and went for 10 in his opening over. Rohit brought him back with the Proteas needing only 26 off the final four overs with a marauding Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller at the crease. Pandya was lucky to remove Klaasen with a wide ball. This proved to be the turning point of the final as the Proteas lower order crumbled under pressure. Pandya conceded only four runs in the over.
Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh kept it tight and South Africa needed 16 off the final over bowled by Pandya. Miller was South Africa's lone hope and the left-hander seemed to have put them back into contention when he smashed a low, wide full toss off the first ball. But a stunning catch by Suryakumar Yadav on the long-off boundary sent back Miller. Pandya kept his cool as India snatched a seven-run win and ended their 11-year title drought in ICC events.
At the end of it all, Pandya turned emotional. His 3/20 off three overs was huge in the context of the game. This campaign has been a reminder to all how precious he is. A fully-fit Pandya brings great balance to the Indian white-ball teams. They had to bring Suryakumar and pacer Mohammed Shami into the playing eleven once Pandya fell injured against Bangladesh in the ODI World Cup.
Now, with Rohit calling time on his T20I career, Pandya is the natural choice as Indian skipper. He has leadership qualities, is calm under pressure and has a sharp cricketing brain. More importantly, he loves the big stage and at 30 his best is yet to come. He will be the perfect fit as India begin quest to defend their title in two years' time.
