Due to Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya nearly suffered an injury scare in the match’s final over on Monday against Australia.
India is aware of the value of Hardik Pandya and his contribution to the white-ball team as an all-around player. Due to his ongoing back issues, he had only played as a hitter in the T20 World Cup of 2021, depriving India of another bowling option as the squad suffered a disappointing group-stage exit. Due to an injury, Hardik had to withdraw from the 2023 ODI World Cup after just four games, leaving India lacking a bowler once more.
In an attempt to prevent running out of extra bowling options in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup, the team management has stacked their lineup with up to four all-round players. Despite picking up eight wickets and scoring 116 runs, including a fifty, to help India secure an undefeated run to the semifinals, Hardik continues to be the most important player for them.
Hardik was furious after he nearly suffered an injury scare in the match’s final over on Monday against Australia because of Rishabh Pant. Mitchell Starc attempted to play a slower ball on the off side but was unable to connect when Hardik bowled a slower ball behind of length in the fourth ball of the over. Pant took a shy at the wickets after collecting the ball with ease behind the stumps. Hardik was not pleased at all because the ball stung his palms even though he missed the objective. Shaking his fists in agony, he gestured to the wicketkeeper. Captain Rohit Sharma was also irritated by what he saw.
Throughout the game, Rohit’s dissatisfaction with Pant did not occur just once. The Australia captain, Mitchell Marsh, gloved a pull shot effort earlier in the second innings of the Super Eight match at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia, against a bouncer from Jasprit Bumrah that ballooned and went behind square leg. Pant had enough time to run the distance and try to collect the ball, but he staggered and ended up swatting the gloves away. Bumrah was left in shock with Rohit throwing a mouthful at the sight.
India’s next match is a second semifinal versus England on June 27 in Georgetown, Guyana. In the opening semifinal, South Africa will play Afghanistan.
