I haven’t seen anyone hit the ball as hard as Rohit: Hardik Pandya

India registered a splendid run chase in the third T20I to win the series 2-1. The chase couldn’t have been comfortable without Rohit Sharma’s magnificent batting at the top. He went on to score an astounding century from just 56 balls. After Colin Munro, Rohit became only the second player to score three centuries in T20Is.

Hardik Pandya was also fantastic with the bat and the ball. He has been quite a versatile all-rounder for India in the recent past. In the post-match conference, Pandya lauded Rohit’s stupendous batting skills when in full flow. He further spoke about his own mindset in the game.

I haven’t seen anyone hit the ball as hard as Rohit

Rohit Sharma who has been under fire following his poor form in the IPL and the last few games stood out at Bristol. Pandya asserted that his knock singlehandedly won the game for the visitors. He further praised the support staff for thrusting confidence on players at the bench.

“Rohit played amazingly well. He was outstanding and played a fantastic hand. He won the game single-handedly for us. We expect that from him. I haven’t seen anyone hit the ball as hard as Rohit. Not having two good games and then coming back to play such an inning, that is special. It shows the confidence players have in this team, in themselves. It all comes down to the support staff. They have been great.” he was quoted as saying by NDTV.

After getting hit for 22 runs in the first over, I was still normal

In the last over of the powerplay, Hardik Pandya was taken apart by Jason Roy. It seemed unlikely that Pandya would complete his quota after that. However, he not only came back and bowled economically but also picked up four wickets. When asked about it, Pandya felt that a different mindset was required on this pitch.

“To be honest, I see the T20 format as a funny game. You need to back yourself and bowl your best balls. I still remember after getting hit for 22, I was still normal. My focus was to make sure that I bowled different balls rather than just bowling yorkers because bowling length was the key. With the shortest boundaries on the straight, I kind of mixed things. I am learning.”

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