Hardik Pandya stops security from punishing fans who invaded pitch to meet him, gets deafening roar from Bengaluru crowd
Hardik Pandya reserved a terrific gesture for the three fans who invaded the pitch to meet the all-rounder during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy semi-final.
Team India's star all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, is currently taking part in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, representing Baroda. Justifiably, the fan interest is high as a throng of fans made its way to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where Baroda took on Mumbai in the first semi-final of the tournament. However, during the match, three fans breached the security barriers, invading the field to meet Hardik.
Their act prompted swift action from security personnel who quickly escorted them away. It seemed that the fans would face strict consequences for their actions, but in a remarkable gesture, Hardik intervened. The Indian all-rounder walked towards the boundary line, gesturing to the security personnel and urging them to let the fans off without any severe punishment.
His thoughtful and compassionate gesture was met with a huge cheer from the crowd, who appreciated his empathy towards the supporters.
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The Indian all-rounder, however, had a rare off-day with the bat, as he was dismissed for just 5 in Baroda's innings. The side, captained by his elder brother Krunal, faced a six-wicket defeat in the semi-final to bow out of the tournament.
Hardik did perform relatively better with the ball, opening the bowling for Baroda and ending with figures of 1/29 in four overs. His economical spell, though, wasn't enough to guide the side to a victory, with Mumbai chasing down a 159-run target with 16 balls to spare.
Ajinkya Rahane was the star for Mumbai in the run-chase, scoring a brilliant 98 off just 56 deliveries to guide the side to the final of the tournament.
Hardik is likely to be seen next in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Baroda; in Indian colours, the all-rounder is set to make a return next month when the side hosts England for a T20I series. It remains to be seen whether Hardik would be considered for the Indian ODI team in the Champions Trophy; the all-rounder wasn't selected for the three-match series against Sri Lanka in August, which sparked concerns over his place in the fifty-over setup.
