All-rounder Hardik Pandya registered a new record during the 1st T20I against England by smashing a blistering fifty with the bat and then taking took four wickets to become the first Indian player to achieve this rare feat.
Previously, Yuvraj Singh did this kind of magic on field when he smashed a half-century and later took 3 wickets in the same match, but Pandya after taking 4 wickets overtook the ‘Sixer King’.
In international cricket, the players who took 4 wickets and scored 50+ runs in the same match are Shane Watson, Mohammad Hafeez, Dwayne Bravo, and Samiullah Shinwari.
Pandya after smashing some crackling shots in his 51 runs knock of 33, including 4 fours and 2 sixes, dismissed the 2 of England’s main batters to throw the hosts out of the game and hand a victory in the series opener.
“I am enjoying my cricket right now. For me, a lot of time goes into the preparation to get my body ready. The kind of break I took before this run of play I want to capitalize on the opportunities. I felt I needed that break. It is about giving your 100% and when you don’t do that, there is no point playing. So I needed that break and now I am happy to be in this place right now,”
IND Vs ENG Match Summary:
After winning the toss team India decided to bat first. Their decision was looking right when the skipper Rohit Sharma started thrashing England’s bowlers in the first couple of overs. However, soon Rohit then Ishan Kishan walked back in to the pavilion.
Deepak Hooda and Suryakumar Yadav then soaked the pressure by playing hard-hitting knocks of (33 off 17) and (39 off 19), respectively. Later, Hardik Pandya took the charge and scored 51 to help India reach 198 in 20 overs.
In reply, England, even after playing at their home ground, failed to chase down the 199 runs target and lost the game by a big margin of 50 runs.
The second of the series will be played on July 09 at Edgbaston.
