"We miss this Hardik Pandya"- Virender Sehwag reckons the best version of Hardik has been reborn

Cricketer-turned-commentator Virender Sehwag has heaped praises on Hardik Pandya after his stunning show in the IND vs BAN encounter of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Virender Sehwag feels Hardik Pandya is like a "Sone Pe Suhaga" for Team India.

Hardik Pandya gave a marvelous performance against Bangladesh in the previous match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 on Saturday, June 6. Pandya shattered a quickfire half-century in 1st inning to set up a gigantic total for the team.

Notably, this was Hardik Pandya's first half-century in ICC T20 World Cup 2024. However, this was just the third game where he batted. Earlier, Pandya slammed 32 against Afghanistan in the previous game. He got out for 7 runs against Pakistan.

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Virender Sehwag lauds Hardik Pandya

While speaking in an Instagram video on Cricbuzz, former India opener Virender Sehwag lauded Hardik Pandya for his fabulous batting show against Bangladesh. Sehwag feels Pandya is pure entertainment on the field.

"But he gives pure entertainment. When he walks, he gives entertainment to the audience. That's a special thing about him. They don't need to feel that he is playing in a hurry. He hits a clean hit. So they enjoy watching Hardik Pandya play", he said during a chat with Parthiv Patel and Gaurav Kapur.

"And we miss this Hardik Pandya. The one who scores 50 runs on 27 balls. He is not the same Hardik Pandya who scores 30 runs on 30 balls and then accelerates. He is the perfect Hardik Pandya who gives pure and pure entertainment", the 45-year-old further added.

Sehwag, who represented Team India from 1999 to 2013 in over 100 Tests and 250 ODIs, also called him "Sone pe Suhaga"- an old Hindi phrase used for someone who adds more value to something.

"I enjoy watching him play. When he used to come, he used to play like this. Yes, absolutely. And when he walks, it's fun. If he could score a run, it is like "Sone Pe Suhaga". I always say this. And that too on fewer balls like 27 balls. He bats at a strike rate of 180-90", the former right-handed batsman concluded.

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya's heroics are not just limited to batting. The right-handed batsman has grabbed a total of 9 wickets in ICC T20 World Cup 2024 across 5 games. He started the tournament on a high, getting a 3-wicket haul against Ireland in the opening match.

Also Read: Watch: Rohit Sharma hurls abuse; celebrates aggressively after Hardik Pandya dismisses Litton Das

Bangladesh lose to India by 50 runs

Hardik Pandya also won the Player of the Match award in the India vs Bangladesh match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. India bashed Bangladesh by 50 runs in the match. Batting first, the Men-in-Blue piled up 196-5 in 1st innings with the help of Pandya's top knock of 50*.

Virat Kohli (37), Rishabh Pant (36), and Shivam Dube (34), also made crucial contributions in batting. Later, bowlers did fantastic teamwork to remove opposition batters like a deforestation process in a jungle.

Kuldeep Yadav picked the most 3 wickets for the side. Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah grabbed 2 wickets each while Padnya got 1 wicket. Najmul Hossain Shanto scored the top knock of 40 runs for Bangladesh.