WATCH: Hardik Pandya waves a send-off to Imam-ul-Haq after his dismissal
Hardik Pandya waved Imam-ul-Haq a send-off after dismissing him on a score of 36 off 38 balls in what was the 13th over of the innings. Hardik was clearly frustrated after going for a few boundaries early in his spell, and this wicket was what he wanted at that stage. No wonder Hardik showed his aggression straight away after the wicket of a dangerous-looking Imam.
After winning the toss, the Indian captain, Rohit Sharma, elected to field first in front of a packed crowd in Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The decision seemed to be wrong initially after the two Pakistani openers got a flurry of boundaries early in the innings and looked threatening. However, India soon managed to send back the centurion of the previous game, Abdullah Shafique, in the 8th over.
But Imam looked fluent on the other end, and Babar Azam, his partner, hit a few boundaries off Hardik Pandya just after he started his spell. The idea was to unsettle Hardik and not let him do his things in the middle overs. Hardik can be really troubling once he gets his lines and lengths correct.
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When Hardik returned for his third over, Imam also opened his hands and hit a boundary on just the second ball. However, Rohit shuffled his field immediately to lure Imam for a drive. The plan was a success immediately.
Hardik Pandya waves a send-off to Imam-ul-Haq after his dismissal
The field placement lured Imam-ul-Haq to go for a fancy drive off a length delivery bowled outside the off stump by Hardik Pandya. It was bowled deliberately to induce a false shot by the batter, who would have to reach for the ball in order to drive it. As expected, Imam went for a drive with hard hands but could only hit the edge of the bat.
The ball flew to the wicketkeeper KL Rahul, who timed his dive perfectly and collected the ball neatly. Hardik was ecstatic and waved a send-off to Imam, saying goodbye. Hardik wanted this wicket badly, and so did India.
It was an aggressive celebration by Hardik after taking ample beating. Imam had thrown away a fine start and walked back. The whole Indian team congratulated Hardik and Rahul for their collective efforts.
Hardik made this gesture in the heat of the moment. The emotions are bound to run high in such a high-octane clash. A few more heated moments can’t be ruled out as the game progresses.
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