Harsha Bhogle has commented on the controversy between Hardik Pandya and Tilak Verma
India vs West Indies, 3rd T20I

IND vs WI: Renowned English cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has commented on the controversy between Hardik Pandya and Tilak Verma in the third match played between India vs West Indies. The third match of the five-match series was played on August 8 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, in which the Indian team defeated the West Indies by seven wickets.

India needed only 2 runs in 14 balls to win, then on the fourth ball of the 18th over, Hardik Pandya gave India the first win in the series by hitting the wheel in his own style. However, the victory was interrupted when Pandya, who was batting at the non-striker’s end on 49 at the non-striker’s end, asked Tilak to stay put in the stump mic recording.

Due to this behavior of Captain Hardik Pandya, the fans and experts of the cricket world got divided into two different groups. The first group was in favor of Hardik Pandya while the fans of the second group were opposing this behavior of Pandya. Bhogle backed Pandya saying that “50 is not a benchmark in the shortest format of the game”. He further added that “If a player is quick to score maximum runs, then average and strike rate are Important“.

I am puzzled by the discussion around Tilak Varma missing out on a 50. It isn’t a landmark, in fact other than a century (which is rare), there are no landmarks in T20 cricket. We are far too obsessed with individual achievement within a team sport. I don’t believe 50s should be recorded in individual stats in T20 cricket. If you have made enough runs quickly enough (avg and SR), that is all that matters.”

India beat West Indies by seven wickets in the third T20I Match

India firstly won the series by defeating West Indies by a margin of seven wickets. West Indies scored 159 runs for five wickets while batting first. India responded by scoring 164 runs for three wickets in 17.5 overs to win the game. Tilak Verma scored an unbeatable 49, and Suryakumar Yadav scored 83 to win the team.

Read – ICC ODI World Cup 2023: Team India Expected Squad List, Fast Bowlers and Spin Bowlers

For more details head to ICC’s official website.