Indian fans had a difficult day as the men in blue were ousted in the knockout stages of another ICC event. No one expected India to lose ten-wicket against England in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-finals after dominating opponents throughout the tournament.
Despite India's struggles, the one bright spot for the side was Hardik Pandya, who kept the team in the game with the bat and in the field.
The 29-year-old batted brilliantly in the final overs, scoring 63 off 33 balls with four fours and five sixes to torment England's bowling line-up. In fact, it was Hardik's efforts that propelled India to a competitive total of 168 for 6 in 20 overs, as they never looked like reaching 150 at any point during the game.
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Pandya was seen pumping up the supporters when fielding, and despite overthrows and mis-fields when bowling, he was willing to step up when it mattered. Although he was unable to keep the England batsmen under control with the ball, he was able to capture the hearts of Indians with an uplifting post on Instagram following the semi-final loss.
“Devastated, gutted, hurt. Tough to take, for all of us. To my teammates, I’ve enjoyed the bond that we built - we fought for each other every step of the way. Thank you to our support staff for their endless dedication and hardwork for months on end. To our fans who backed us everywhere we went, we’re forever grateful. It wasn’t meant to be but we’ll reflect and keep fighting,” Hardik wrote on Instagram.
Hardik also underlined the benefits of forming close bonds with the members of the side. He went on to thank the support crew for their efforts and said that he would not give up the fight for the crown.
India’s next assignment will be the limited over tour of New Zealand where they will play three T20Is, and as many ODIs, starting November 18.
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