IND vs WI: Hardik Pandya Becomes First Indian All-Rounder To Achieve This Feat In T20 Internationals

Star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Tuesday attained a remarkable accomplishment during the third T20I match between India and West Indies in the series.

After India opted to bowl at the Warner Park in St Kitss, West Indies got to a flying start with openers Brandon King and Kyle Mayers maximised to score in the field restrictions. Mayers was playing the aggressor’s role and King, coming from a match-winning 68 in the second game, bided his time.

It was just then Hardik broke the deadlock for the tourists in the eighth over with King’s dismissal. Hardik bowled a good length delivery, while King was trying to play across the stumps but found an inside edge that crashed into his stumps.

Hardik Pandya becomes first Indian all-rounder to achieve a rare feat in T20Is

Hardik claimed 50th T20I dismissal of his career and became the sixth Indian bowler to do so. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja achieved this feat in the second T20I on Monday. Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar are the other Indian bowlers to take more than 50 T20I wickets. 

Hardik has amassed 806 runs in 47 innings at 23.03 and a strike rate of 143.16. Hardik became the ninth player and first Indian to complete the double of scoring 500 runs and picking 50 wickets in the shortest format of the game.

Shakib Al Hasan, Shahid Afridi, Dwayne Bravo, George Dockrell, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Hafeez, Kevin O’Brien and Thisara Perera are the eight players to achieve the feat. 

India beat West Indies by seven wickets

Coming back to the match, India secured a seven-wicket victory to restore the lead to 2-1. Suryakumar Yadav dismissed the criticism behind his promotion to the openers role with a 44-ball 76, including eight fours and four sixes, batting at 172.73.

Rishabh Pant played a supportive role (33 in 26 balls) to take India past the finishing line in a chase of 165 with six balls to spare.

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