Irfan Pathan praised Hardik Pandya for his all-around performance in the third One-Day International against New Zealand and noted that the vice-captain of India has special skills that benefit the team.
The Men in Blue set a challenging 386-run target for the Black Caps on Tuesday, January 24, in Indore, thanks to the significant part of Hardik’s blistering 54 runs off 38 balls. Finn Allen was subsequently out for a duck as the hosts bowled out Tom Latham and company for 295 to get a convincing win of 90 runs.
Pathan was questioned about his thoughts on Hardik Pandya’s performance with both the bat and the ball during a post-match discussion on Star Sports. Replying to the question, Irfan Pathan said, “He is an extremely crucial player. You need a player who can both bat and bowl to get the balance. It is very difficult to find the ability that Hardik Pandya provides to the Indian team. You will find very few players like him in world cricket.”
The former Indian all-rounder also praised some of the shots which were played by the Gujarat Titans captain.
Pathan said, “He first showed his might in batting. The shots he played, the straight pull he hit – he was playing tennis on the cricket ground. It was an exceptional shot and after that also showed his power and range in the other shots.”
He further added, “If he is in form, it is extremely difficult to stop him. The knock came at the right time and fast as well because the other batters were finding it difficult to score against the old ball, but Hardik Pandya did not have that much difficulty.”
Pathan added that Hardik’s fifty and his 54-run stand with Shardul Thakur for the seventh wicket was crucial. If India had been limited to a score of around 330, the outcome might have been different, he concluded.
