As Tilak Varma was batting on 49* in the third T20I against the West Indies, Hardik Pandya smashed a six and was widely chastised for his actions on social media.
After Tuesday’s third Twenty20 International (T20I), Hardik Pandya, captain of the Indian cricket team in the present T20I series versus West Indies, received a lot of backlash online. India easily beat their target of 160 runs thanks to Hardik, who has received a lot of criticism for some unknown reason. Even though non-striker Tilak Varma needed only 1 run to complete his half-century, he blasted a six on the final ball of the match to finish the chase.
Many internet users criticized this behavior, calling it self-centered. Harsha Bhogle, a well-known sports pundit, has now weighed in on the debate. I don’t see why everyone is so concerned that Tilak Varma didn’t get a 50. It’s not particularly significant; in T20 cricket, the only significant score is a century, which is quite uncommon. We place far too much emphasis on individual performance within a team context. In my opinion, the 50s shouldn’t be counted as an individual score in T20 cricket. Harsha Bhogle wrote on X, “If you have made enough runs quickly enough (avg and SR), that is all that matters.”
South African cricket legend Ab de Villiers responded to the message with an emotional “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” At last, someone makes the point!
Varma, who made his Twenty20 International debut in the series, has been one of the team’s most reliable batters. Varma has emerged as a true pillar in a youthful team despite his age, scoring 39, 51, and 49* in his last three outings.
India is already down 1-2 to West Indies in their best-of-5 Twenty20 International series.
