Dubai (UAE), February 23: Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya achieved a significant milestone by completing 200 international wickets during India’s ICC Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan on Sunday.
Pandya delivered an outstanding performance in the match, taking 2/31 from eight overs at an economy rate of 3.87. He claimed the crucial wicket of Pakistan’s top batter Babar Azam, who had unleashed a flurry of boundaries, and also dismissed the well-set Saud Shakeel, who had made a half-century.
With this achievement, Pandya reached 200 wickets in 216 international matches for India, averaging 30.76, with his best bowling figures of 5/28, which is his only five-wicket haul in international cricket. He is now the 24th-highest wicket-taker in Indian cricket history.
Breaking down his stats:
- 11 Tests: 17 wickets at an average of 31.05, with best figures of 5/28.
- 91 ODIs: 89 wickets at an average of 35.26, with best figures of 4/24.
- 114 T20Is: 94 wickets at an average of 26.43, with best figures of 4/16.
This performance also adds to his excellent record against Pakistan in ODIs, where he has taken 10 wickets at an average of 24.60, with best figures of 2/31.
Regarding the match, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. They got off to a strong start, with Babar Azam (23 in 26 balls) contributing five fours in a 41-run opening partnership. However, after two quick wickets, Pakistan found themselves at 47/2.
A 104-run partnership between skipper Mohammed Rizwan (46 in 77 balls) and Saud Shakeel (62 in 76 balls) steadied Pakistan’s innings. However, the duo consumed a lot of deliveries. After the partnership was broken, Khushdil Shah (38 in 39 balls) tried to keep Pakistan’s hopes alive, but with contributions from Salman Agha (19) and Naseem Shah (14), Pakistan was bowled out for 241 runs in 49.4 overs.
India needs 242 runs to keep their semifinal hopes alive in the ongoing tournament.