‘Maine dekha Mahi bhai ko…’: Hardik on how he channeled his inner Dhoni | Cricket

With six runs required off the final four balls, Hardik Pandya rocked back, made room and looked to the smash the delivery from Mohammad Nawaz through cover, but couldn’t beat the fielder. Despite the dugout and the millions of fans feeling the nerves, Hardik made a ‘Main hoon na’ gesture towards Dinesh Karthik. The very next was was nonchalantly smashed flat over long-on for a six. India won the thriller with Hardik orchestrating a perfect chase for India, which had MS Dhoni’s strategy written all over it – assessing the bowlers and the situations, taking the game deep and making the most of that one mistake Pakistan made. And at the end of the thriller of a Dubai game on Sunday, Hardik revealed how he had channeled his inner Dhoni in the chase.

Speaking to Gautam Gambhir and Sanjay Bangar on Star Sports after the game where he smashed 33 runs off 17 balls, laced with four boundaries and a match-winning six, Hardik revealed that he has seen Dhoni pull off such things many a times and only tried to emulate the same.

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Hardik further explained that the chase truly began for him after the 15th over, saying that he new Pakistan had one left-arm spinner waiting along with Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. He added that he was aware of the over-rate factor as well. ICC’s latest rule left Pakistan no option but to bring an extra fielder inside the cicle leaving India to explot th situation in the 17th and 18th over when they smashed 25 runs laced with four boundaries and a six and hence the damage was inflicted.

“Jitna me simple rakh saku me koshis karta hu. Obviously Mahi bhai also, jab bhi unke saath khela hu dekha he maine, zyada maine sawal kiya nehi but nehi bhi dekha toh bhi main manta hu ki as a cricketer, sirf unse nehi, jo jo players ke saath maine khela he jo jo cheez me le sakta hu maine liya. I feel that agar koi decision life me bhi lena ho if you are calm and are able to asses the situation better then behetar decision le sakte ho.

Batting me bhi me same cheez use karne ki koshis karta hu ki mere paas kya kya options he Yeh game actually mere liye 15th over se start huya tha. I knew that the death bowler is making his debut today, I knew ki execution me thoda upar niche hoga. So agar yaha pe bhi dot balls huye toh propblem nehi kyunki ek left-arm spinner he and unlogo ka over-rate me bhi kam tha. So yeh sab cheez factor karke socha ki akhri tak rahe and behetar option liye,” he explained.

Hardik’s all-rounder show, which included three wickets as well, helped India win the Pakistan tie by 5 wickets in Dubai.