Ace all rounder Hardik Pandya played one of the best innings of his life in the Pallekele Test against Sri Lanka. Despite a solid start, the middle batting order collapsed without doing anything special. The world no 1 Test team was struggling on Day 1 for a strong partnership and then came the young all rounder from Vadodara making the inning memorable on Day 2. He came into bat when the team was at a respectable score of 322/6 by the end of the third session on Day 1. However, his monstrous knock of 108 runs off 96 balls propelled India to 487 runs and took the Test beyond the hosts.
Later, Team India posted a decent total of 487 on the board and defeated the Lankans their home by an inn ings and 171 runs. This is the first Test series victory for Virat Kohli as captain on Sri Lankan soil. On the other hand, a new dependable Test cricketer evolved with this series and he is Hardik Pandya.
A fifty to start the series with in Galle, a 20 in the second Test and a maiden Test ton in the third and final Test, these were the contribution from the 23-year-old bowling all rounder who has become an Indian cricketing star.
After smashing the home team by 3-0 in the Test series, skipper Virat Kohli appreciated the contribution of Pandya in the series. In the interview, he said,”The regulars have performed, but the biggest positive would be Hardik’s inclusion and the way he shaped up in these three Test matches. The kind of confidence he showed with the ball and the maturity with the bat, it really gives us a lot of boosts and the balance.”
Great to be a part of this team, massive team effort for winning this series. Some really special performances, onto the ODIs now. pic.twitter.com/hvgQS7hzUi
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) August 14, 2017
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