Virat Kohli-led team India beat Australia by 5 wickets at Indore, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series. With two ‘Man of the Match’ awards, Hardik Pandya has come out as the success story of the tournament and even his captain Virat Kohli was forced to acknowledge that. Virat Kohli, as a captain, is also on a dream run. He has now captained nine consecutive ODI wins, which equals the Indian record of MS Dhoni.
Earlier in the day, Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. Aaron Finch was the highest run-getter as he scored 124. Smith too scored 63, but the hosts could not get past the 300-run mark. India got off to a belligerent start, thanks to Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma. But once they fell for 70 and 71 respectively, it was down to Pandya, who saw India home with an important 78. India won the match with 13 balls to spare.
Just after the match, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya had a dressing-room conversation which Virat Kohli released from his account. He introduced Hardik Pandya to the world and also touted him as the superstar of the team. The video was captioned as, “Ladies and gentlemen, here is the man of the moment”.
Ladies and gentlemen, here is the man of the moment @hardikpandya7(Also @klrahul11 at the back)___
Great win, series clinched_ #NumberOne__ pic.twitter.com/umyvk0IW7x— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 24, 2017
Virat Kohli, in the video, talks about how Pandya delivered and his promotion to number 4. KL Rahul was also seen in the background, enjoying the chat between the two Indian cricketers. Hardik Pandya’s phenomenal run started in the ICC Champions Trophy final, where he nearly took India to an improbable win against Pakistan. Since then, he has never played on a wrong foot. Recently in Sri Lanka, he also got his maiden Test ton off merely 86 balls, which again was emphatic.
It must have been a very proud moment for the Maharashtrian newbie, and it is evident that he is growing with every game.
