Indian cricket star Hardik Pandya on Wednesday became the No.1 ranked all-rounder in T20I cricket after his heroics in the World Cup in West Indies and USA.
Pandya overtook Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga to top the rankings. Pandya scored 144 runs including a fifty and picked 11 wickets from 8 games.
Kung-Fu Pandya's glorious WC campaign
He saved his best for last, bagging 3 crucial wickets in the final against South Africa to help India win by 7 runs and clinch the World Cup for the second time after 2007.
Pandya, who was criticised for his captaincy after replacing Rohit Sharma at Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024, silenced his critics in style to become the first Indian all-rounder to achieve the No.1 ranking in T20I cricket.
Pandya turns his haters into fans
Just a couple of months ago the entire country was booing Hardik Pandya wherever he played in the IPL 2024 but now the entire Indian cricket fraternity is hailing the 30-year-old World Cup champion from Baroda.
"Somewhere down the line I have accepted the fact that this sport will give me ups and downs. The more ups I have the better, but even the downs I will cherish because failure teaches you a lot of things," Pandya told reporters after the final.
He got emotional after bowling the last ball of the match against the Proteas and broke down in tears before being hugged by his teammates. Captain Rohit Sharma even gave him a kiss on his cheek for the outstanding final over in which he not only defended 16 runs but also took the wickets of David Miller and Kagiso Rabada.
The vice-captain of the Indian T20I team is likely to be named as the successor to Rohit, who announced his retirement from the shortest format of international cricket after becoming the second Indian skipper to win the T20 World Cup.
