Ishan Kishan, on Friday (July 5), met Hardik Pandya and congratulated him for his leading role for India in their victorious campaign in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Hardik Pandya played a huge role with bat and ball in the tournament as India went all the way and ended their long wait for an ICC trophy. India had not won the T20 World Cup since 2007, while their last ICC trophy had been in 2013. They finally managed to end the long wait with a win over South Africa in the final.
India beat the Proteas by 7 runs in a thrilling final to win the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup. Hardik Pandya had played for Team India throughout the tournament and he made a huge impact in the final as well. South Africa was in the driving seat after reaching 151/4 in 16 overs while chasing 177.
India’s vice-captain turned the match on its head by dismissing the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen for 52 off the first ball of the 17th over. Later in the final over, he sent back David Miller off the first ball and went on to defend 15 runs as India restricted South Africa to 169/8 and won the thriller. In all, Pandya scored 144 runs at an average of 48, besides picking up 11 wickets at 17.36.
Ishan Kishan pays tribute to Hardik Pandya:
On Friday, Ishan Kishan took to Instagram to pay tribute to his teammate. The left-handed batsman posted a heartwarming video in which he paid a surprise visit to Pandya at his residence and congratulated him on his performance. The two shared a warm hug before Kishan kissed Pandya.
In his caption, Kishan highlighted how Pandya managed to stay calm and focused despite things not going his way ahead of the World Cup. The ace all-rounder had faced backlash from fans throughout the IPL campaign. He was booed wherever he went as fans expressed their anger over Rohit Sharma being replaced as the Mumbai Indians captain.
“You faced so much these past few months but you remained calm and focused. And today bhaiya, you got the result of your hard work, honesty and sincerity. There is so much more I feel and want to say but words fall short. You are a champion and you are one of a kind ♥️💪🏼,” Ishan Kishan wrote.