Hardik becomes 1st Indian to cross 1000 T20I runs and bag 50 wickets

AUSTRALIA: India all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Sunday created history by becoming the first Indian to cross 1000 T20I runs and take 50 wickets. Pandya achieved the milestone during India's clash against rival Pakistan in the Super 12s of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The all-rounder bagged crucial wickets for his team, like Haider Ali, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz to help Men in Blue restrict Pakistan to 159 for 8 in 20 overs. The 29-year-old only conceded 30 runs in his four overs, at an economy of 7.50. Pandya entered the fray in the second innings after India was down to 31 for 4 after 6.1 overs. He gave former skipper Virat Kohli the ideal backing as the two began to revive India's innings. They eventually formed a 113-run partnership. One boundary and two sixes were part of Pandya's 40 runs off 37 balls, with a strike rate of 108.10.

Talking about the match, An explosive half-century by star batter Virat Kohli and a century stand with Hardik Pandya helped India defeat Pakistan by four wickets in their Group 2, Super 12 match of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday.With this win, India is at the top of Group 2 with two points.