Former opener Aakash Chopra feels that Hardik Pandya doesn’t have to be like Mahendra Singh Dhoni even if he considered the legendary captain his idol. The flamboyant India all-rounder came under the scanner after he finished the third T20I with a six which left Tilak Varma stranded on 49* as India won the match. Pandya faced criticism for winning the big shot despite the youngster being unbeaten on 49 as more than two overs were left for India to chase the target.
Several Fans started comparing Pandya with Dhoni who was known for his selfless attitude on the field. During the 2016 World Cup, Dhoni defended the ball with the straight ball to let Virat Kohli finish off the chase against South Africa as he set up the match for India with a brilliant half-century.
Chopra talked about the criticism Pandya faced after Tilak missed his milestone.
“Hardik Pandya has been trolled a lot and received a lot of criticism. But then there is another school of thought: why is there so much noise about the milestone? In T20 cricket why are you talking about milestones? So he is in the middle of the conversations,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
The former opener also recalled the Dhoni-Kohli moment from the past but he also asserted that Pandya doesn’t need to do the same things which MSD did even if he calls him his idol.
“I can remember in the past MS Dhoni defended a ball as Virat Kohli was on the other end and he wanted him to finish the game as it was his day. MS Dhoni was like I don’t want to take away your limelight, you finish it off, you are the man. So that was Dhoni, but Hardik does not have to be Dhoni. He doesn’t need to do or become like Dhoni even if he considers him his idol,” said Chopra.
Meanwhile, Pandya’s six sealed the win for India to keep the five-match series alive with West Indies holding an advantage at the moment with a 2-1 lead. The fourth T20I will be played on August 12 at Florida where Pandya and Co. will look to level the series to set up the fifth T20I as a decider on Sunday.
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