Sri Lanka vs India: Hardik Pandya's Special Gift For Chamika Karunaratne On T20I Debut. Watch
Sri Lanka vs India: All-rounder Chamika Karunaratne received the special gift after making his T20I debut against India.
Highlights
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Chamika Karunaratne made his T20I debut against India on Sunday
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Hardik Pandya gifted him a bat to make the occasion special
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India beat Sri Lanka in the first T20I to take a 1-0 lead in the series
Sri Lankan all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne has impressed many with his performance in the just-concluded three-match ODI series against India, which the visitors won 2-1. The home team's head coach Mickey Arthur was so dazzled by Karunaratne's performance that he went on to label him as the 'find of the series'. Following his exceptional show in the one-day series, Karunaratne was handed his T20 International (T20I) debut on Sunday against India. However, it was not an ideal one for the 25-year-old cricketer as Sri Lanka lost the match.
However, the match was made memorable thanks to a special gift from his "role model".
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya presented Karunaratne with a bat, a gesture that left the Sri Lankan feeling "absolutely honoured".
Sharing the special moment with his followers on Instagram, Karunaratne wrote, "Absolutely honoured to have received a bat from my role model Hardik Pandya on my T20 debut".
He also went on to add: "You are an amazing human being and I am truly touched by your thoughtful gesture. I'll never forget this day. May God bless you always!"
The post soon created a buzz on social media with Hardik's teammates and fans applauding his sportsmanship.
Commenting on the post, Hardik's elder brother Krunal Pandya dropped red-heart, clapping and two hands emojis.
Hardik's Mumbai Indians (MI) teammate Suryakumar Yadav, who was also part of the winning Indian team, dropped a smiling-face-with-heart-eyes emoji in the comment section.
"Awww Hardik is such a good guy," wrote a user on the post.
"This is the most beautiful thing on the internet today," said another cricket enthusiast.
Karunaratne had a forgettable outing on Sunday night as he scalped one wicket while giving away 34 runs in his quota of four overs. He also failed with the bat, scoring just three runs.
Hardik, too, did not have a memorable game as he scored 10 runs off 12 balls and bowled just two overs, conceding 17 runs while picking one wicket.
Before the start of the game, Hardik was also seen singing the national anthem of Sri Lanka and a short clip of the same was widely shared on the internet.
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With their 38-run win over Sri Lanka, India have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
Sri Lanka Cricket Team
India Cricket Team
Hardik Pandya