IND vs ENG: Hardik Pandya Joins Shane Watson In Elite List Of Cricketers With A Fifty, 4-fer In A Match In Both ODI and T20Is

In the third One-Day International of the three-match series against England on Sunday, July 17, at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya was on fire. The 28-year-old all-rounder maintained his stellar form with superb performance and contributed significantly with both bat and ball to India’s five-wicket victory in the series finale. 

The man from Baroda first recorded his career-best bowling statistics of 7-3-24-4 to restrict England to 259 in 45.5 overs, and he then scored 71 runs off only 55 balls with the assistance of 10 fours to lift India out of trouble and put them on the verge of a historic victory at the storied Old Trafford. 

Hardik Pandya And Rishabh Pant Assist India With First ODI Win In Manchester Since 1983

India was struggling on Sunday (July 17) at 72 for four, having not defeated England in an ODI in Manchester since the 1983 World Cup quarterfinal. But Hardik and Rishabh Pant (125 not out from 113 balls; 16 fours and 2 sixes) worked together to contribute 133 runs for the fifth wicket, saving India and giving them a historic series victory.

India overcame England in the ODI and T20I series for the first time in their own nation with the victory on Sunday. 

Hardik was on display right away in the game that decided the series. In the tenth over of the English batting order, Indian captain Rohit Sharma introduced him, and on only his fifth ball, he struck first blood by dismissing the firmly established Jason Roy. Pant caught the English batter for 41 runs off of 31 balls.

Ben Stokes, the Test captain for England, was the second big fish that Hardik took out in the first delivery of his third over. The all-rounder did not perform well in the ODIs and was eliminated in the series finale for just 27 runs. 

Hardik Pandya Turns Game On Its Head

When Hardik chose to affect the game’s outcome in just four balls while bowling the second over of the second spell (his sixth overall), England had reached 192 for five after 36 overs.

In order to draw India back and leave the defending world champions at 199 for 7 after 37 overs, Hardik came and removed both of the hosts’ skipper Jos Buttler (60) and all-rounder Liam Livingstone (27), who were both seated at the crease as England was aiming for a high total. 

The departure of the dangerous combination should also receive equal credit from Ravindra Jadeja, who made two magnificent catches to do so. 

And if Hardik’s bowling wasn’t sufficient, he also decided to bat and ensured that India stayed on course. The strain on Pant, who was having trouble with his form in white-ball cricket, was lessened by the number six batsman, who scored runs at will. In the 133-run stand, the all-rounder was the dominant partner, and once he left, Pant took over to lead India to victory. 

Hardik became the sixth Indian cricketer, after Kris Srikanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Yuvraj Singh, to take a four-fer and make a fifty in an ODI match for India thanks to his exploits with both the bat and the ball.

Hardik Pandya Becomes First Ever Indian To Score Fifty And Take Four Wickets In Both ODI’s And T20I’s

India and England played T20Is before this ODI series. In addition, Hardik struck 51 from 33 balls in the opening T20I of the three-match series against England before taking four wickets for 33 runs to secure India’s victory. 

As a result, he became the first and only player from India to date to score fifty runs and collect four wickets in both ODIs and T20Is. Up to this point in ODI matches, 56 players have scored a fifty and taken four wickets, while five players have done the same in T20I matches.

But only two cricketers—Hardik Pandya and former Australian T20I captain and 2015 World Cup victor Shane Watson—have scored fifty runs and dismissed four batsmen in both ODIs and T20Is. 

At Docklands Stadium in Melbourne on October 9, 2005, Australian all-rounder Watson defeated the ICC World XI with a batting score of 66 and four wickets for 39 runs. He scored 59 runs off of 31 balls in a T20I against England on June 12, 2011, in Adelaide, before taking four wickets for 15 runs. 

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