India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is the new sensation of Indian cricket as Baroda all-rounder has grown by leaps and bounds over the past year or so. He uses the long handle to good effect, not to mention his wicket-taking abilities that come in handy in the shorter format of the game. India were in a lot of trouble, having lost half their side against Australia in the first ODI in Chennai with not too many runs on the board and Pandya's 83 off 66 balls shifted the momentum in India's favour and helped the hosts reach a challenging total of 281 for 7 at the end of their allotted overs. The 118-run stand between Pandya and former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned the match on its head. Actor Anil Kapoor couldn't hide excitement and took to Twitter to congratulate India and praise Pandya for his brilliant knock along with Dhoni.
"Incredible recovery & a smashing win by India! @hardikpandya7 & @msdhoni are true champs! What a great game!! #INDvAUS #bleedingblue," the Bollywood star tweeted.
Pandya reciprocated with the same warmth by thanking the 60-year-old actor and also stating that he is a big fan of his movies.
To which, the veteran actor wrote back, "@hardikpandya7 After the way you played yesterday, the whole country is your fan! So proud of you & #TeamIndia!"
India went on to win the first ODI by 26 runs in a rain-truncated match. Pandya also picked up a couple of wickets and was adjudged the Man of the Match.
The second ODI will be played at the Eden Gardens on September 21.