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Is Hardik Pandya’s Disregard For Milestones Justified?

Hardik Pandya is known for not letting players reach certain milestones due to his aggressive playing style and hitting prowess. He usually starts accelerating right from the first ball, and while this is usually a very good thing, sometimes India fans end up hoping that Pandya plays just a little bit slower. The game between the Indian cricket team and the Pakistan cricket team in the group stages of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 saw Indians hope that Hardik Pandya actually plays slower than normal. This article talks about Pandya’s unwavering intent and disregard for milestones, which caused Indian fans to root against him.

Hardik Pandya’s Lack Of Concern For Milestones

Credit: SportsCafe.in

In the game between India and Pakistan on 23rd February 2025, the Indian cricket team managed to restrict their opposition to a total of 241. India managed to get a good start, and it looked like they would be able to chase the score down and beat Pakistan easily. However, as the game neared its end, Indian fans started getting excited about something other than simply winning the game. When it looked like India would certainly win the game, fans started getting excited about whether or not Virat Kohli would be able to get his 82nd century in the game against Pakistan and whether there would be enough runs left for him to score a century.

While Indian batsmen Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer were originally playing very slowly, slowly edging towards the target, Iyer decided to start accelerating a little. However, while attempting to do so, Shreyas Iyer ended up losing his wicket, getting caught out in the 39th over. While India had lost a wicket, it was already clear that they would certainly be winning the game, which is why some fans actually celebrated Iyer’s wicket as he was starting to accelerate, which would mean fewer runs for Kohli. However, all Virat Kohli fans’ hearts dropped after they saw Hardik Pandya walk out to replace Shreyas Iyer on the field.

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This was because Hardik Pandya has a history of disregarding anyone trying to reach a milestone while trying to chase the score down as soon as possible. His natural game is to go after the bowler, and he stayed true to this despite Virat Kohli trying to score a century on the other end. On just his second ball, Pandya swung hard and smashed a four. He ended up bringing the score down to just 19 runs needed, while Kohli needed a minimum of 14 runs to complete his century. It looked like Hardik Pandya would completely dash any hope of Kohli getting a century, but Hardik Pandya ended up nicking the ball and lost his wicket.

This meant that Axar Patel would come in next, someone with a similar ideology as compared to the rest of the country, someone who would try his best to give Kohli all the strike to help him score a century. While Axar Patel did his best to give Kohli a strike, the Indian star still struggled to complete his century. However, with two runs being needed, Kohli found himself on 96, needing a boundary to help India win the game while completing his century. In the third ball of the 43rd over, Kohli managed to get the winning runs. He slammed the ball wide of extra cover to score a boundary, achieving a century while finishing the game.

#INDvsPAK

Virat Kohli fans to Hardik Pandya: pic.twitter.com/4pODNZx8sx

— Incognito (@Incognito_qfs) February 23, 2025

While Hardik Pandya’s acceleration did not hamper anyone’s milestones this time, he has shown multiple times in the past that he is someone who will choose to disregard personal milestones. He hit a six with just two runs to win, while Tilak Varma was batting on 49 runs against West Indies in 2023. He hit a six while KL Rahul was batting on 79 runs and brought the score down from 24 runs needed to 18 runs needed. He also hit a six when Shubman Gill was batting on 83 to bring the required score down from 24 runs to 18 runs, putting pressure on Gill to go for the big shot, which led to him losing his wicket.

Hardik Pandya enhanced the narrative of modern cricket, where individual accomplishments can be overshadowed by the bigger picture. As cricket evolves, players like Pandya remind us that selflessness and determination towards victory often define a player’s legacy far more than the records they accumulate. Pandya plays as a finisher and does not play for milestones himself, so while people may feel bad that he is finishing the game early, no one can fault him for helping the team finish the match early, especially because he would more likely than not forgo his own milestone as well if he was in a similar situation.

For more news and updates on Hardik Pandya, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram.

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