Captain Hardik Pandya made a bold statement after winning the 3-match T20 Series against New Zealand. ‘MS Dhoni’s responsibility is on me’ – Hardik Pandya’s massive statement after winning IND vs NZ T20 series.
Shubhman Gill’s classy hundred guided India to a massive 168-run victory
India won the decider in Ahmedabad with a huge margin of 168 runs and handed New Zealand the biggest defeat in terms of runs in T20I history. India posted a total of 234 runs with the help of Shubhman Gill’s first-ever T20 hundred.
Gill scored unbeaten 126 runs off 63 deliveries making him only the 5th Indian batter to score a T20I hundred. His classic century combined with Tripathi and Hardik’s brutal hitting cameos helped India lift to a mammoth score of 234.
In reply, New Zealand choked under the pressure of 234 runs as they lost 4 wickets under 10 runs. No batter of New Zealand looked confident facing the Indian pacers. Captain Hardik took 4 wickets and Arshdeep, Umran, and Mavi took 2 each.
‘MS Dhoni’s responsibility is on me’ – Hardik Pandya
During the post-match press conference, Hardik was asked about his role in this batting order.
“I’ve always enjoyed hitting sixes. But that’s life, I’ve to evolve. I’ve believed in partnerships and I want to give my batting partner and my team some assurance and calmness that I’m there. I’ve played more games than any of these guys, and I’ve learned how to accept and swallow pressure and make sure everything is calm. Maybe I have to get my strike rate down for that”
Hardik is looking forward to his new role in the team and said “Taking on new roles is always something I look forward to. I want to take the new ball role too because I don’t want anyone to come and take that difficult role. If they’re under pressure, then we are chasing the game. I want to lead the front. I’ve been working on my new ball skills,”
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“I don’t mind playing the role that somewhere down the line, Mahi used to play. At that time, I was young and hitting all around the park. But since he’s gone, all of a sudden, that responsibility is onto me. I don’t mind that. We are getting the results. It’s okay if I have to play a little slow,”