'He displayed maturity': Aussie great hails Hardik Pandya for his responsible knock vs PAK

IND vs PAK  Asia Cup 2023 saw a spectacular batting collapse, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer out in ten overs. The next wicket was Shubman Gill at 66 runs in the 15th over, and Team India looked doomed. However, However, wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan and all-rounder Hardik Pandya rescued the team from a difficult situation by establishing a record fifth-wicket partnership in an ODI against Pakistan. Team India managed to make 266 runs in 48.5 overs, but due to poor weather, the game was washed out and Pakistan’s innings were cancelled. 

3 things you need to know 

• Each team received one point following the abandonment of the contest
• Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya added 138 runs off 141 deliveries for the fifth wicket
• During India’s innings, Hardik Pandya made the most runs in the game with 87

Also Read: Asia Cup 2023: Wasim Jaffer Trolls Shaheen Afridi And Pakistan Bowlers With Hilarious Meme

IND vs PAK:  Matthew Hayden makes a huge statement about Hardik Pandya 

Matthew Hayden, a former Australian opener, has heaped admiration on India's Hardik Pandya for his brilliant performance against Pakistan in India's opening match of the 2023 Asia Cup. Hayden commented that Pandya's innings exhibited remarkable maturity, drawing comparisons to that of a captain's.

After a top-order collapse left India in a precarious position at 66-4, Pandya teamed up with Ishan Kishan to get the team back on track. Pandya, a native of Baroda, showed a great deal of maturity by putting together an impressive 138-run partnership with Kishan before being removed for 87 runs by Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Hayden stated his confidence that Pandya might score at least 120 in an interview with Star Sports. Despite this, he gave credit to Pandya for helping the relatively inexperienced Kishan develop a solid partnership with the bowling assault.

"I think he will be a little bit disappointed with the way he got out. I think he should have gone on to get somewhere around 120. He will know that. But the reality is that the maturity that he displayed, the way he took charge.

"He knew that his side was in trouble. He knew that Ishan Kishan was at the other end. and he hadn’t played a lot of cricket for India in ODIs. There was an extenuating situation; plus, he was facing a world-class Pakistan attack."

Hayden appreciated Pandya’s batting against Pakistani  spinners

Adding to his point, he claimed that Hardik Pandya was able to manipulate the strike when the Pakistani spinners were trying to dominate the Indian batters in the middle stage of the game. He emphasized that Hardik succeeded at the part where Indian Team captain Rohit Sharma couldn't against Pakistan. Rohit Sharma opened the batting for India and only managed to make 11 runs in 22 balls. 

Also Read: 'A Bit Casual. You Don't Know Whether..': Gambhir Rips Apart Kohli For 'nothing Shot'

"Those situations, he summed up nicely. He did exactly what he was supposed to do through that middle stage."  When the spin came on, he was able to manipulate the strike. That was almost like a captain’s knock, the one that Rohit Sharma couldn’t play. Hardik did play."

The 29-year-old got to 50 when he hit a single to long-on off Agha Salman in the 34th over. But Shaheen's shorter delivery in the 44th over was what got him out of the game, which was helpful to Pakistan. Pandya made 87 runs in 90 balls, helping India to keep its head high in the Asia Cup opener.   Now Team India will face Nepal on Monday, September 4, 2023.