IND vs SA: 'It needed courage to trust my shots' - Hardik Pandya happy with how he tackled South Africa's bowlers

CUTTACK: Hardik Pandya seemed to be satisfied with his performance after his match-winning show in the first T20. Coming in to bat at No. 6 in the lineup after spin-bowling allrounder Axar Patel, Pandya rescued a tottering India with a typically pulsating knock.His breezy 28-ball unbeaten 59 turned the game on its head and helped India to a formidable 175/6. Starting off with two huge sixes off Keshav Maharaj in the first four balls he faced, Pandya showed he was in fine touch.

Tearaway pacer Anrich Nortje, who was making a comeback after 16 months and consistently bowled at 145kmph-plus at the Barabati, was hit for three fours and a six that flew over the third-man fence as Pandya reached his seventh fifty in T20Is. Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamla and Donovan Ferreira were also punished. “I had to trust my shots, it needed a bit of courage,” Pandya said after winning the Player of the Match award in his comeback game.

“It was timing, not trying to break the ball. I was very happy with how I batted. It’s very satisfying that the result came out like this.” South Africa’s batting coach Ash well Prince was also impressed. “Pandya has come back from injury. He is looking sharp. He batted his time. He picked the right moments to attack. There wasn’t a lot of spin on offer, so he got a couple of early sixes away,” the former South Africa captain said.

“Against the seamers towards the end, he put the pressure on them. He struck the ball as good as ever so a lot of credit has to go to him. He is a six hitter but he is also calm. I think identifying the right balls to attack, that comes with a lot of experience. As soon as the ball was in his area, he put a good swing on it, no half measures,” Prince added. “Most of the time when Hardik hits it, he is not tentative. There is clarity in his thinking and there is clarity in his execution.

It was an outstanding innings.” Dismissing any concern over his fitness while bowling, Pandya struck with the very first ball on his international return. Pandya gave away 16 runs in the two overs he bowled and bagged the wicket of David Miller. “The last six, seven months have been really amazing from my fitness standpoint. I don’t make a big deal about the hard work which goes behind everything. But at the same point in time, these last 50 days, being away from your loved ones, spending time at the NCA (now BCCI Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru), you know, making sure that all these things are covered,” he said. On match eve, captain Suryakumar Yadav had spoken about the flexibility Pandya brings to the XI. Coming in as first-change bowler after Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh shared the new ball on Tuesday, Pandya, who opened the bowling in the Asia Cup, said it was always about how he could step up for the team. “It does not matter what Hardik Pandya wants. It matters what India wants. Whenever I get opportunities, I come and try to do my best.

Some days are good, some days are not,” he said.