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‘He looked like taking a wicket off every ball’: Rohit Sharma on Hardik Pandya
India's skipper, Rohit Sharma, showered praise on all-rounder Hardik Pandya for his outstanding performance with the ball during the Asia Cup Super Four clash against Sri Lanka.
In a crucial moment when the game seemed to be slipping away from India's grasp and wickets were desperately needed, Hardik rose to the occasion.
Facing the fiery bowling of Sri Lanka's Dunith Wellalage at one end and resilient batting from the rest of the opposition, Hardik Pandya managed to turn the tide by dismissing Maheesh Theekshana. Although he ended the night with just one wicket to his name, his five overs were a spectacle to behold.
Rohit Sharma acknowledged Hardik's dedication and hard work on his bowling skills over the past couple of years.
"He has worked really hard in his bowling for the last couple of years. It doesn't happen overnight and it's pleasing to see. He looked like taking a wicket off every ball. Was not an easy target to defend as the pitch got easier at the end and we had to put it consistently in one area and I think we did quite well," Rohit said in the post-match presentation.
In addition to Hardik's contribution, Kuldeep Yadav once again dazzled the audience with a four-wicket haul, solidifying his status as the second-fastest Indian to reach 150 ODI wickets, following Mohammed Shami.
"For the past year or so bowling really really well. He has done a lot of hard work on his rhythm. He went back to the drawing board and worked on it. The ball is coming out nicely and you can see the results in the last 10 ODIs," Rohit added.
With this crucial victory, India secured their spot in the Asia Cup 2023 final with a game to spare. Their next challenge is against Bangladesh on Friday, leading up to the highly anticipated final game on Sunday.