Aakash Chopra in a heartfelt tribute showered praise on Hardik Pandya for winning over disgruntled fans through a stellar performance in Indias victorious 2024 T20 World Cup battle against Pakistan in the vibrant city of New York. The versatile allrounder faced disdain during IPL 2024 following his assumption of the captaincy mantle from the esteemed Rohit Sharma.
Hardik scored just seven runs off 12 deliveries as India set Pakistan a 120-run target after being asked to bat first on Sunday, June 9. However, he bowled an amazing 2/24 in four overs to assist the Men in Blue win by six runs.
In a video posted to his YouTube page, Aakash Chopra commented on some of India’s standout performances. Hardik said:
“Hardik Pandya – people booed him so much, and how life changes. I saw the entire ground shouting ‘Hardik, Hardik’ and a lot of love for him. Cricket is a great leveler. If you perform well, people who were abusing you will also praise you. They will pray for your success.”
“I learned one thing that we Indians are extremely lucky. We have 140 crore people and whoever follows cricket, prays for you, even though they don’t know you. This is the biggest blessing. So Hardik Pandya has also turned that around. He has been outstanding.”
Aakash Chopra
Hardik initially had the aggressive Fakhar Zaman caught superbly off a bouncer by Rishabh Pant. He subsequently accounted for Shadab Khan in essentially identical terms.
“He was an unsung hero” – Aakash Chopra on Axar Patel
Aakash Chopra called Axar Patel an unsung hero for his whole performance.
“I will once again want to talk about Axar Patel’s performance because he was an unsung hero. He came to bat at No. 4 and scored 20 runs. If you add Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja’s runs, and add (Virat) Kohli’s also to that, the five together scored 21, and Axar Patel made 20 at a number which is not his number.”
Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator observed that the spin-bowling all-rounder had a significant influence with the ball following a key knock.
“After that, picked up Usman Khan’s wicket. A wicket was not falling. You had tried all bowlers and he was the last bowler to be tried. Everyone remembers (Jasprit) Bumrah’s dismissal of (Mohammad) Rizwan and then Hardik Pandya, but the 16th over, it was a negative match-up, Imad Wasim was standing, and he bowled a two-run over. I think he was absolutely sensational.”
Aakash Chopra
Axar scored 20 runs off 18 deliveries and combined 39 runs for the third wicket with Rishabh Pant (42 off 31) after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were bowled cheaply.
He recorded stats of 1/11 in two overs, ending Mohammad Rizwan and Usman Khan’s 31-run second-wicket stand and bowling three consecutive dot balls to Imad Wasim in the 16th over.