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IND vs ENG, 1st T20I: Hardik Pandya becomes first Indian to achieve THIS feat
Earlier, former all-rounder, Yuvraj Singh came close to this record in 2009 when he scored a half-century and scalped three wickets in a home series against Sri Lanka.
India talismanic all-rounder Hardik Pandya is a vital clog in the Indian cricket team when it comes to giving balance to the playing XI. Hardik is probably the only Indian fast-bowling all-rounder in the circuit, who can bat at a strike rate of 150, score a fifty, and with the ball in hand take a four-wicket haul. In the first T20I against England at The Rose Bowl, Southampton, Hardik did exactly this. He scored 51 runs and went on to scalp four wickets to provide Team India with a 50-run victory. With this, Pandya became the first Indian player to scalp four wickets and score a half-century in a single T20I match.
With this record, Hardik has joined the list of Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, and Mohammed Hafeez. Earlier, former all-rounder, Yuvraj Singh came close to this record in 2009 when he scored a half-century and scalped three wickets in a home series against Sri Lanka.
"The last time I played a T20 in England, I think I took 4 wickets and scored some 30. So I kind of knew I was the first Indian to score fifty and take 4 wickets. I am enjoying my cricket right now," said Hardik in a post-match presentation.
"For me, a lot of time goes into the preparation to get my body ready. The kind of break I took before this run of play I want to capitalize on the opportunities. I felt I needed that break. It is about giving your 100 per cent and when you don't do that, there is no point playing," he added.
Coming to the match, an all-round performance from Hardik Pandya took India's total to 198/8 in the first innings. Suryakumar Yadav and Deepak Hooda also scored 39 and 33 runs, respectively.
For England, Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan scalped two wickets each, while Topley, Tymal Mills, and Parkinson took one wicket each. Later, debutant Arshdeep Singh and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal scalped two wickets each while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel took one a piece and restricted England at 148. Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan were the picks among the batters as they scored 36 and 26* runs, respectively. Both the teams will be squaring off for the second T20I on Saturday at Birmingham.