Hardik Pandya made his presence felt after making a comeback to the Indian team. He replaced Vijay Shankar for the third ODI against New Zealand and took 2 for 45 off his 10 overs.
The India all-rounder also contributed in the fielding department by taking a stunning catch to end Kana Williamson’s innings. Virat Kohli lauded Hardik for making an impactful comeback. “It’s very, very good to have Hardik back. He is someone who provides a lot of balance to the team. And the way he bowled today showed he went back and practiced his skills.
“He put his head down and focussed on what he needed to do and you could tell from the way he bowled with intensity straightaway.. picking two crucial wickets at that stage.
“He’s someone who will give you those important contributions in all three departments and that’s something any team would want to have and when he comes in, the team looks a lot more balanced,” Kohli said in the post-match press conference.
Hardik Pandya tweeted few pictures and wrote: “Thank you.”
Thank you pic.twitter.com/rzIKQX7ELx
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) January 28, 2019
Even his critic Sunil Gavaskar hailed him for a terrific performance. “Terrific performance, absolutely terrific performance. It’s never easy [to fly and straightway play a match]. The jet lag can get to you. He is a young man, he has had things that have happened and he just wants to forget it. The best way to forget it is being out on the field. And this is what he does best. Being on the field and playing for the country… that’s what you want,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.