Hardik Pandya Reveals Plan To Outfox Heinrich Klassen In T20 World Cup 2024 Final

The year 2024 didn’t start on a positive note for India’s premier all-rounder and former captain, Hardik Pandya. He was booed by the Mumbai Indians’ faithful fans during the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after he replaced Rohit Sharma in the leadership department.

His form with both bat and ball dropped to make the selectors concerned. Still going into the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America, India’s fate was handing on Pandya’s contribution with the bat and ball.

Roller-coaster start for Hardik Pandya in 2024

It was full of rough chapters for Hardik, with a list of injuries that kept him away from the game. A stress fracture in the back required surgery, while the ankle issue ruled him out of the home ODI World Cup 2023. Yet he fought with all the setbacks to prove his top quality as the all-rounder.

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The 31-year-old had a tough time with the five-time IPL champions. The right-handed batter smashed just 216 runs in 13 innings at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 143.04, shouldering on the best score of 46. With the ball, Pandya managed just 11 wickets in 12 innings at an average of 35.18 and an economy rate of nearly 11.

Hardik Pandya shares emotional story of T20 World Cup 2024 final

For India’s second T20 World Cup winning campaign, the credit generally has gone to Virat Kohli for his incredible knock of 76 runs in 59 balls at a strike rate of 128.81 and Jasprit Bumrah, who finished with a remarkable bowling figure of 2/18 in four overs.

But one can’t argue that the Rohit Sharma-led side couldn’t win the final without Hardik Pandya’s 17th and 20th over with the ball. He showed incredible calmness and maturity to get the job done. Rohit threw the ball to the all-rounder to defend 16 runs off the last six deliveries to end India’s ICC trophy drought for nearly 11 years.

It was a goosebump moment for the all-rounder, who, by then, had already faced so much criticism for his performance as the Mumbai Indians’ captain.

“We won as a team. But for me to play that much important role, it is just surreal. And it’s a dream that came true. From my shoulder, a big weight was kind of off. I think it was just a relief. Proud of the way I was able to stand, and maybe not show a lot of emotions or how I have been going through.” The all-rounder expressed this during a recent interview with the ICC.

Hardik Pandya leaks plan against Heinrich Klassen

The 17th over changed the momentum of the encounter. South Africa’s wicket-keeper batter, Klassen, nailed Kuldeep Yadav for 24 runs in the 15 overs, thanks to two boundaries and as many over boundaries. Bumrah bowled a dried 16th over by giving away just four runs.

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Hardik Pandya got the big fish, Klassen, on the very first ball of the 17th over. It was a superb slower ball, full and outside the off stump, as Klassen went chasing and got the outside edge into the hands of the wicket-keeper, Rishabh Pant.

“Just before the ball, I just told him (Rohit) that I’m gonna go wide to Klaasen, and I just knew that he's gonna expect a ball which is on the stumps. His leg was a little to the leg side, so I knew that he was gonna try to hit me there.” The 31-year-old highlighted.

“That’s when I, just before my run-up, just looked at him and said, I'm gonna go slow because I didn’t set a field for a slower ball. I had to outfox him, or I had to be a little one up in the game. So, he’s not aware of what ball was coming because the way he was hitting it was just tremendous. That just opened the door for us.” Hardik Pandya concluded.