CHENNAI: As the Indian players continued to celebrate after winning the Champions Trophy on the field at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday night, Hardik Pandya got his hands on the silverware and walked to the main pitch. At that point, everyone knew what was coming.
Pandya was going to recreate the iconic pose of Khaby Lame — something he had done already with the T20 World Cup trophy at Kensington Oval, Barbados last year — and the cameras followed him. The Indian all-rounder gave his own phone to one of the guys as the shutters went off.
It was a moment he had been waiting for eight years. He displayed a lot of resistance against Pakistan in the 2017 CT final before being run out. He had missed out on the second half of the 50-over World Cup in 2023 due to injury. It meant India had changed their plans. Since coming back, however, he has been a different beast.
The numbers, even in this tournament, might not look so. His record — 99 runs at 106.45 strike rate and four wickets at 35.75 in five games — is not one to make your jaw drop. But Pandya's impact in this Indian team is undeniable.
For starters, having him as an all-rounder allowed India to field four spinners and a lone frontline seamer. He opened proceedings from one end, broke partnerships in the middle before coming back in the death (his four wickets were Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Rachin Ravindra and Adam Zampa). With the bat, he stepped up when needed the most. The semifinal against Australia, where he smashed three sixes to take the pressure off KL Rahul, and the final against New Zealand — he scored a composed run-a-ball 18 — ensured India did not panic in crunch games.
It is something India missed dearly during the ODI WC. His absence meant they had to play an extra batter in Suryakumar Yadav. As a result, India could not field an extra spinner like R Ashwin when they wanted to, including in the final. The current team management's preference for all-rounders and left-right combination in the middle meant Pandya might not have big numbers on a regular basis. But he is, however, extremely important as his presence lends balance to the side.
And it worked pretty well for Pandya as well as India. They remained unbeaten on their way to their first ICC title in the 50-over format since 2013. For Hardik, it meant everything. "I can say that an incomplete dream is over today. But eight years is a very long time. A lot of things happened in life in eight years. But at the same time, winning, and that too for India, is something very, very important for me. And this is not a dialogue, but it's a rule of my life. I have always maintained that if Hardik Pandya doesn't do anything, it's fine. But if the team does well, it will be great," he said after the final. "I have always had confidence in myself that I can do it. And at the same time, the hard work that goes behind the doors, it pays off. I always believe that the way you prepare, you will be able to reflect that in the game, especially," he added.
Indeed, it did pay off in the best way possible. And this is just the beginning. At 31, Pandya's best perhaps is yet come. With an ICC event to play for in every coming year, India is going to see a lot more of it.
