Trinidad: The Indian team was captained by Hardik Pandya as they defeated Shai Hope's West Indies team by a huge margin of 200 runs to win the match and the series 2-1.
After being dismissed for scores of five and seven in the first two games in Bridgetown, Barbados, the legendary all-rounder struggled to score runs throughout the series.
In the third ODI at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad, Hardik had a chance to take the initiative and improve his form. He did not dissapoint, smashing a commanding half-century. In his first 24 balls, the 29-year-old only managed to score 12 runs, which was a slow start.
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The Baroda-born star, however, cut loose after getting his eye in and punished the West Indies bowlers whenever they made mistakes with their lines and lengths.
Virat????Leader of the game❤️❤️
— kanak Agarwal (@kannuu14) August 2, 2023
Ind vs wi#HardikPandya #viratkohli pic.twitter.com/JvdZI7NtQk
Hardik scored his last 58 runs in 28 balls to remain unbeaten on 70 in 52 deliveries with the help of four fours and five sixes. From The replacement captain finished with a strike rate of 134.62 after beginning with a strike rate of 50 in his first 24 balls.
Speaking of his impressive performance, Hardik thanked Virat Kohli for helping him prepare for ODI cricket. Hardik said Kohli gave him the advice to spend some time in the middle to get accustomed to the 50-over format.
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"I had a very wonderful chat with Virat a couple of days back, and the kind of input he gave me, he has seen me throughout the years. It's been almost seven or eight years of international cricket and he has seen me from day one. He had some pointers which really helped me," Hardik said in the post-match presentation.
"He just wanted me to spend some time on the crease and get used to the 50 or game as well because we have played so many T20 formats and yeah, that kind of stayed in my mind and I was just waiting for the opportunity. I'm really thankful to him as well to kind of share that experience with me,"he added.
The five-match T20I series against the West Indies is India's next task, and it begins on Thursday, August 3. The team, which includes some talented young players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma among others, will be captained by Hardik.
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