Hardik Pandya is one of those cricketers who became an integral part of the team in a very short span of time. Pandya made his debut against Australia in January 2016 and since then, there was no looking back for him. The 24-year-old all-rounder has equalled former Indian captain and Indian legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev’s 34-year-old record.
In the third and the decider ODI game against Sri Lanka in Vishakhapatnam, the moment he dismissed Sachith Pathirana, Pandya completed 30 ODI wickets with 557 runs under his belt this year. He became the 2nd Indian all-rounder to reach this feat after Kapil Dev who achieved this feat back in the year 1983.
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The same year, India lifted the World Cup for the first time in the history of international cricket. In that year, Kapil played a total of 27 matches and scored 517 runs. His highest individual score was 58. In bowling, he plucked 32 scalps with a best of 4/30.
As far as Pandya’s stats are concerned, the Indian all-rounder has picked 31 ODI wickets, with best figures of 3/40. He has also scored 557 runs so far with his career-best 83 runs against Australia in the bilateral series.
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Gradually, Hardik Pandya has become the backbone of Indian Cricket Team’s lower-middle batting order. On several occasions, he proved his talent and gave his best when the team needed it. For instance, in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 against Pakistan, though India lost the game by 180 runs, Pandya was the only batsmen who acted fearlessly at the crease.
His maiden Test century during the Sri Lanka tour was another example of his match-turning abilities.
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After a marvellous series victory against the Lankans on December 17, Pandya along with the Team India is all set to play the T20I series starting from December 20 in Cuttack.
