“The strength of his character”: Mithali Raj lauds Hardik Pandya for his match-winning performance in India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2022 match

Former Indian women’s team captain Mithali Raj has lauded Hardik Pandya for his all-round performance in the IND vs PAK Asia Cup match.

Team India started their Asia Cup 2022 with a brilliant victory over their arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium. The match had a lot of twists and turns, but the Indian team won the match in the last over. Hardik Pandya smashed Mohammad Nawaz for a maximum to seal the deal for India.

The Indian bowlers led by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar bowled incredibly well, and they managed to restrict Pakistan for 147 runs. India lost KL Rahul early, whereas Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were also not at their best. Even Suryakumar Yadav failed to impress, but Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya had other plans.

Jadeja held one end, whereas Pandya was at his very best. Pandya scored 33 runs in 17 balls at a strike-rate of 194.12 and was awarded the player of the match for his match-winning performance.

Mithali Raj lauds Hardik Pandya for his match-winning performance

Former Indian women’s team captain Mithali Raj has lauded the performance of Hardik Pandya in India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2022 match. He said that the last win speaks a lot about the character of Hardik, and she has called Hardik’s return a massive boost for the Indian cricket team.

“The supreme confidence with which Hardik Pandya sealed India’s win yesterday speaks a lot about the strength of his character. His return has been a phenomenal boost for India. A wonderful victory to begin the tournament. Well played,” Mithali Raj tweeted.

The supreme confidence with which @hardikpandya7 sealed India’s win yesterday speaks a lot about the strength of his character. His return has been a phenomenal boost for India. A wonderful victory to begin the tournament. Well played. #INDvsPAK pic.twitter.com/SL9dh2mI4n

— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) August 29, 2022

Hardik has been absolutely excellent since his return from injury in the IPL 2022. He guided Gujarat Titans to the title of IPL 2022 as captain, and his individual performances were great as well. Pandya scored 487 IPL 2022 runs at 44.27, whereas he also scalped eight wickets with the ball.

ALSO READ: AB de Villiers congratulates India on beating Pakistan

In International cricket, Pandya has scored 314 T20I runs in 2022 at a strike-rate of 144.04, whereas he has scalped 11 wickets with the ball. The return of Hardik has given India a much-needed balance in the playing eleven, and he has been the biggest match-winner for India this year.