Former India opener opens up on noise over Tilak Varma missing half-century

Team India T20 skipper Hardik Pandya was targeted by several fans on social media after the third T20I against hosts West Indies.

Though India registered a comprehensive victory against the hosts, Hardik drew severe criticism for a strange reason. The captain hit a six what turned out to be the last ball of the match to finish the chase, despite the fact that non-striker Tilak Varma needed only a single to complete his half-century.

Several fans termed the act as selfish and criticised Hardik severely over various social media platforms.

Amid severe criticism and debate, former India opener turned cricket expert Aakash Chopra gave a blunt reply.

While analyzing the topic on his official YouTube channel, Chopra said, “It’s an interesting one. Hardik Pandya has been trolled a lot and has been criticised. But there is another school of thought that says, why are you talking about milestones in T20 cricket? So, that was quite in the middle of conversation.”

“I remember once MS Dhoni played a forward defensive shot because there was Virat Kohli at the other end. He wanted him to finish it off. He didn’t want to take the limelight. But Hardik doesn’t have to be a Dhoni, even if he considers him an idol,” he added.

Notably, in response to the incident, former South African captain and legendry cricketer AB de Villiers had also given his answer on the same line.

“I am puzzled by the discussion around Tilak Varma missing out on a 50. It isn’t a landmark, in fact other than a century (which is rare), there are no landmarks in T20 cricket. We are far too obsessed with individual achievement within a team sport. I don’t believe 50s should be recorded in individual stats in T20 cricket. If you have made enough runs quickly enough (avg and SR), that is all that matters,” the former Mr 360 degree batsman had said.