Stronger, smarter and powerful Hardik ready for Pak challenge

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It can’t get any bigger than this. A clash between India and Pakistan anywhere and in any tournament is the biggest thing in the cricket world. It also brings out the best out of the big players. After Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the third name on the pecking order is Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain of India’s T20 team.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man!

Every stalwart of the game lbe it Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar or MS Dhoni – all had to go through the grind and bite the dust. And God knows what!

Like Phoenix, Hardik has emerged from the ashes and looks stronger, smarter, and more powerful ahead of the all-important match.

Hours before the match, Hardik has become the talking point once again and the reason is simple. It is because of the big match-winning temperament. Who else would know it better than the former Indian cricketer, chief selector, and the one who groomed Hardik to become what he is today? “He is a fighter. You can’t leave him out of the equation in big games. He has done it in the past against Pakistan, and I have complete faith in his ability,” More told CricBlogger.

In six T20 internationals that Hardik has played against Pakistan, his contribution with the bat isn’t massively big, scoring 84 runs with a highest score of 40 but he has 11 scalps against the arch-rivals with an impressive economy of 7.5.

Hardik said that he loves playing and performing against Pakistan.
“Standing in big games is very exciting for me. I find it extra special and Pakistan has been one team where I have been very fortunate, I have been able to do well in a lot of games,” Hardik was quoted as saying by the official broadcaster of the T20 World Cup.

More exuded confidence that a match-winner is always a match-winner no matter what. “He is a genuine match-winner. He came back from his injury, which wasn’t easy. He likes big stages, and the India-Pakistan match is big, and he must be pumped,” More said.

So, all the booing that affected his cricket in the first season of Mumbai Indians is a thing of the past. “The booing chapter did affect his performance. But every cricketer had to go through it. The best part of the story is that he has survived it all and is ready for the big match,” More added.