Hardik Pandya reminded of MS Dhoni's class act for Kohli as he denies Tilak Varma a fifty

After losing two on the trot, India are back in the T20 series against West Indies. On Tuesday, Team India registered a thumping win of 6 wickets over the Windies. Tilak Varma maintained his consistent run in the series, and this time anchored the innings perfectly. Suryakumar Yadav was adjudged the man of the match for his blistering 83 off 44. 

3 things you need to know

• India beat West Indies in the 3rd T20 by 7 wickets
• West Indies lead the series 2-1
• Tilak Varma has been a revelation for India

Also Read | 'It Sends A Message To The Others': Hardik Pandya Is Astounded By Suryakumar Yadav's Match-winning 83 Off 44 Balls

Hardik Pandya strikes one out of the park

Hardik Pandya, the stand-in captain for Rohit Sharma, has so far received flak over the way he has marshaled his troops in the T20 series, and for his after-match statements. However, in the 3rd T20, the all-rounder led the team well, and after his men had refrained the opposition from attaining a huge total, the right-hander contributed with the bat as well and finished off in style. All in all, it was a perfect day for Pandya but the bashing on social media is not stopping. 

In the 18th over, there came a situation when just two were needed for India to get over the line. Hardik was on strike and on the opposite end Tilak Varma was stranded at 49. Pandya had the option to take a single and allow Varma to complete a well-deserved half-century. Instead, he went for the glory shot and cleared the fence quite comfortably. 

Mast win in a must win!#INDvsWI #INDvWIAdFreeonFanCode pic.twitter.com/NQsoXEU3W6

— FanCode (@FanCode) August 8, 2023

Also Read | Asia Cup 2023: Here's Everything You Need To Know About Venues, Timings And Schedule

Netizens bash Hardik Pandya for not letting Tilak Varma register half-century

Pandya hitting a six when Varma was on the verge of scripting his second 50 in international cricket, did not go well among the netizens, who took to "X" to criticise the Gujarat Titans captain. Some called Pandya "selfish", whereas some made a comparison with MS Dhoni, and brought out the famous instance from the 2014 T20 World Cup semi final game, when MS Dhoni played a defensive shot to give Virat Kohli the strike and win the match for India  Here are a few of the many reactions.

Never seen a SELFISH Player like Hardik Pandya, Tilak was batting at 49 in hisa third game & Hardik finished the match with the six,this is how the LEADER should be?

Pathetic! pic.twitter.com/CoTJTSU6fy

— ᴘʀᴀᴛʜᴍᴇsʜ⁴⁵ (@45Fan_Prathmesh) August 8, 2023

Tilak Varma needs one run to score 50 and Hardik Pandya hits a six to win the game.

This guy is clearly not happy with Mumbai Indians players 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/ZPcvLIxL9G

— ANSHUMAN🚩 (@AvengerReturns) August 8, 2023

#HardikPandya #IndianCricketTeam
3Rd class captain in the world pic.twitter.com/bte1eLgWBy

— Subrat Nayak (@nsubrat123) August 8, 2023

If this guy is becoming our next Captain then the whole country will lose 🙏

Say no to Hardik Pandya!
sack him asap @BCCI 🙏 pic.twitter.com/rKFAbLsAsT

— Aryan 45 🇮🇳 (@Iconic_Rohit) August 8, 2023

not letting tilak verma score his second well deserved fifty and hitting a random six by keeping the strike, that's not "it's ok to be unique" hardik pandya, that's just "it's ok to be besharam"

— Neeche Se Topper (@NeecheSeTopper) August 8, 2023

This man was built different 🩵#HardikPandya #TilakVarma #WIvsIND #Tilak pic.twitter.com/3id0Wsq3wt

— Rupesh Gitte (@GitteRupesh) August 8, 2023

So, while the Twitter world is quite vocal on Hardik Pandya's match-winning six, what is your take on this. Do you think the criticism is justified? Let us know in the comments.