Tonik Pandya, displayed a brilliant gesture, after hitting Ben Duckett, displayed a brilliant gesture, after hitting Ben Duckett, a brilliant gesture, after hitting Ben Duckett, with a brutal brutal.
The incident involving Hardik Pandya and Ben Duckett took place during the second T20I of the five-match series at the Ma Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai on Saturday, January 25.
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Hardik Pandya blocks Ben Duckett with a bouncer
Ben Duckett came to open the innings along with Phil Salt after the Indian national cricket team won the toss and invited the England national cricket team to bat first.
Duckett came into the match under pressure after his poor outing in the T20I series opener where he scored 4 runs off 4 balls before being dismissed by Arshdeep Singh in the 3rd over at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
In the second T20I, the 30-year-old left-handed opener did not get off to a good start against the Indian bowlers. He also faced a brutal hit on his helmet in the second over which was bowled by Hardik Pandya.
On the second ball of the Over, the Indian all-rounder caught the old Englishman by surprise as he hit a short ball. Duckett went through with his early pull and hit the side of the helmet brutally.
Pandya instantly checked on the bat to see if the batsman was okay and the physio soon came out to the middle for a routine check. There was no major problem for Duckett as he appeared to be fine and put his helmet back on to start fighting.
However, he was not able to play a good innings and was dismissed for a 6-Ball 3 by Washington Sundar in the 4th over.
Watch: Hardik Pandya's brilliant gesture for Ben Duckett
Hardik Pandya hit the helmet of Ben Duckett ⛑️ #Sowing 2nd T20I 2025#Viratkohli #rcb #Ranjitrophy #Divorce #Msdhoni #Rohiitsharma #Pakistan #Championstrophy2025 #CHAMPIONSTROPHY #Babarazam #surya #Icc #yes #TestNet #Ipl #IPL2025 #haarcb pic.twitter.com/kog9rpr8st
– Kirkit xfarrt (@7_thala4areason) January 25, 2025
Who were the top performers for India in the first T20I?
India's dominant 7-run win over England in the first T20I at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata was fueled by outstanding individual performances from Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy.
Abhishek Sharma set the scene on fire with the bat, playing a sensational knock of 79 off 34 balls. Opening the innings, he smashed five fours and eight sixes while batting at a strike rate of 232.35.
He dismantled England's bowling attack with his attacking brand of cricket, ensuring that India chased down the modest target of 133 in just 12.5 overs.
On the bowling side of things, Varun Chakravarthy was the MVP. He won man of the match and contributed with the ball, delivering a match-winning spell of 3/23 in his four overs.
He broke the backbone of England's middle order, dismissing Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone and Jos Buttler, ensuring that England could only post a total below that.
Arshdeep Singh also made a significant impact, picking up two crucial wickets early in the innings. He dismissed Phil Salt for a duck and followed it up with the wicket of Ben Duckett, helping India take the momentum right from the start. Spinner Axar Patel contributed an economical spell, taking 2/22 in his four overs. These performances ensured India got off to a great start in the three-match series.