Hardik Pandya talks about his deja vu moment last night at Eden Gardens

Hardik Pandya found the situation last night at the Eden Gardens similar to the one he was in at Chinnaswamy stadium last year against Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup. With 11 runs required off the last over, skipper MS Dhoni handed the ball to young Hardik Pandya who was still trying to find his feet in International cricket. He faced two of the most experienced Bangladeshi batsman by the names of Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah.

Mushfiqur thrashed the second and third deliveries to the boundary and Pandya was under immense pressure with India on the verge of getting knocked out of the tournament with only two runs to defend off 3 balls. However, things didn’t pan out the way Bangladesh supporters thought it would. Bangladeshis choked under pressure as Mushfiqur’s premature celebrations came to an end with three wickets in the next three balls.

Back to the present

Rohit Sharma entrusted Hardik yet again with the final over as Kolkata Knight Riders needed 14 off the final over. Mumbai Indians ended up winning the match by 9 runs. The situation made Hardik nostalgic about the event last year

“This last over was somewhat similar to the one I bowled against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup. It is something that is still fresh in my mind and I don’t think anything has matched up to that level of pressure when it comes to bowling.” quoted Hardik Pandya according to IPLT20.com

“That scenario was different, the stage was different, the pressure was there here too, but that is something that was at another level. I don’t think such a thing will happen again in my career. I feel proud about it, but I don’t want such overs again. It is better to finish the game early and not have that pressure again,” concluded Pandya.

Pandya ended up with two wickets as he picked up crucial wickets of Colin de Grandhomme and Manish Pandey. Hardik conceded only 22 runs in his quota of 4 overs at an economy of 5 and a half per over.