India staged a great recovery in the fifth and final one-day international against New Zealand to reach 252 after being reduced to 18-4 in the early going. Ambati Rayudu and Vijay Shankar started the process with a superb partnership to take India to 116-5 but then Hardik Pandya’s late burst got the visitors to a very competitive total.
The allrounder smashed five sixes – three of them in a row off leg-spinner Todd Astle – in his 22-ball 45 to show just how explosive he can be as a batsman and in the process helped India score 84 runs in the final ten overs.
Coming back to the Indian team after a long break (since September, 2018), Pandya had already impressed in this series, when he took a stunning catch and bowled 10 crucial overs in the third ODI. That performance played a vital role in India clinching the series.
And on Sunday at Wellington, he showed the third aspect to his all-round skills, smashing the ball around the park to help India post a competitive total.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to the knock (with some references to Koffee with Karan, predictably):
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