Watch: Hardik Pandya admits laughing inside while Rohit Sharma & Co. were tensed in CT 2025 semi-final
Published - 06 Mar 2025, 12:07 PM
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India National Cricket Team stars reacted to Hardik Pandya's entertaining finish with the bat against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal in Dubai. India’s thrilling four-wicket victory over Australia in the semifinal left everyone in elation, but it was Hardik Pandya’s late heroics that stole the spotlight at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 4.
In a tense run chase, the Indian all-rounder unleashed a blistering cameo, smashing 28 runs off 24 balls, including three massive sixes and a boundary during his action-packed stay on the crease in Dubai. Hardik’s two consecutive sixes off Adam Zampa turned the tide, easing the mounting pressure in the final overs against Australia.
Hardik Pandya’s nerve-wracking cameo against Australia leaves the Indian dressing room on the edge
Inside the Indian dressing room, emotions ran high as players anxiously watched every moment unfold. In a video shared by the Indian cricket team on Instagram, Axar Patel revealed that some urged Hardik to rotate the strike while some knew he had the ability to finish the game in style.
The spin all-rounder revealed that the tension was palpable in the dressing room, but they all had confidence in Hardik’s ability to finish the match for India.
Axar Patel said in the Instagram video, “What is going on? What are you doing? But I knew that. But I couldn't speak at that time. I was watching the environment around me. All this was going on. If the end is good, everything is good. That's how it is.”
I was laughing and smiling: Hardik Pandya
On being asked about his reaction when he was batting against Australia, Hardik said that he never thought about the team’s reaction, but he was laughing inside that his teammates were a bit tense in the dressing room because of his risky hitting.
Hardik Pandya said, “I was smiling. I mean, I didn't think of hitting two sixes. I knew it would happen anytime. I didn't think about what will happen or what will be the environment inside. But I knew that people must have gotten a little tense in the dressing room. I was laughing a little inside.”
Meanwhile, KL Rahul, who played a crucial role in stabilizing the chase with the unbeaten knock of 42 runs off 34 balls, admitted that things got tighter than expected, but Pandya’s power-hitting provided much-needed relief at the right time against Australia.
KL Rahul and Varun Chakravarthy praise Hardik Pandya's cameo in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Semifinal
The Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rahul said that Hardik’s explosive knock took the pressure off him and helped him to take the Men in Blue over the line. KL Rahul said, “It did get closer than what we would have wanted. Hardik came and hit those crucial sixes. It took a lot of pressure off me. I’m really happy that we got over the line.”
In the end, Varun Chakravarthy highlighted how every key player contributed to the team’s win over Australia in the semifinal. Chakravarthy signed off by saying, “What a chase by the chase master Virat Kohli. The way KL, Axar, Hardik, and Shreyas Iyer played. It was fun.”
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