"He saves his best for the big match" - Aakash Chopra lauds Hardik Pandya for always delivering against Pakistan

Aakash Chopra has lauded Hardik Pandya for reserving his best for the crunch games against Pakistan.

Pandya scored 87 runs off 90 deliveries in India's Asia Cup 2023 Group A clash against the Men in Green in Pallekele on Saturday, September 2. His knock helped the seven-time champions set a 267-run target for Babar Azam and Co., but the match eventually did not yield a result as rain didn't allow a single ball to be bowled in the second innings.

While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra heaped praise on Pandya for rising to the occasion on the big stage. He said:

"Hardik Pandya's story is very good. I feel he should be given more credit for what he does. He saves his best for the big match, that's something that we should all admire and acknowledge."

The former Indian opener pointed out that Pandya has invariably delivered the goods against Pakistan. He observed:

"You can troll him as much as you want, but whenever he plays against Pakistan, whether it was the 2017 Champions Trophy, the 2022 T20 World Cup, the last Asia Cup, or this match, whenever there is pressure and the Indian team is struggling, he is the guy. He comes and scores runs."

Pandya smoked 76 runs off 46 balls in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, albeit in a losing cause. He made match-defining contributions in India's group-stage wins against Pakistan in last year's Asia Cup and T20 World Cup.

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"They were stuck at one stage" - Aakash Chopra on Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan bailing India out of trouble

Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan strung together a 138-run fifth-wicket partnership. [P/C: AP]

Aakash Chopra highlighted that Hardik Pandya bailed India out of a precarious situation in Ishan Kishan's company in Saturday's game as well. He explained:

"Here also, they were stuck at one stage. You were 66/4. If another wicket had fallen, because when he and Ishan Kishan eventually got out, the team fell like a cycle stand. You couldn't play the entire 50 overs."

The renowned commentator added that India would have been bowled out much earlier had the duo not stayed together in the middle for more than 23 overs. He stated:

"So if they had been dismissed earlier, you would have been dismissed by the 35th over or probably the 28th over. So that would have been a problem but Hardik Pandya was brilliant."

Pandya joined Kishan in the middle when India were floundering at 66/4. The all-rounder was the sixth wicket to fall at the score of 239 and they were quickly reduced to 242/8 before Jasprit Bumrah's 16-run cameo helped them reach the 266-run total.