Chasing a challenging 294 to seal the series, Team India were off to a great start with openers- Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane adding 139 runs for the first wicket. However, both the set batsmen were dismissed in quick succession, and as if it was not enough to make the spectators at Holkar Stadium nervous, the team sent in Hardik Pandya at number 4.
While there is no denying that Pandya was in supreme form, the situation was not perhaps to his liking. The situation becomes only tougher for Pandya and the Men in Blue when captain Virat Kohli was dismissed cheaply. However, the allrounder, who had bailed the team out from a precarious position in the series-opener, showed a different facet of his batting as he mixed caution with aggression to play a matured innings of 78 to help India win the game and clinch the series.
Well, the mood in the Indian camp is upbeat at the moment, and it was very much reflected when KL Rahul, Pandya and Axar Patel got involved in an interaction in a video uploaded by BCCI.tv while travelling to Bangalore for the fourth game. The trio asked each other some interesting questions, and the answers were even more impressive.
Excerpts:
Rahul: How batting at number four was different than your usual position?
Hardik:
I took it as a challenge and got really excited when I learnt that I was going in at number four. I love to play my game and I backed myself as always, and it came out pretty well.
Rahul: What are you expecting from Bangalore now?
Hardik:
I love the place and the city. It has good food, restaurants. It’s always better to go out and in eat food rather than sitting in the hotel. I’m also gonna drive your car.
Here is the video posted by bcci.tv:
https://twitter.com/PRINCE3758458/status/912901060624355329
Rahul: Axar, please tell us the story behind your name.
Axar:
During my under-19 days, we were in Bangalore preparing for the World Cup. I needed a passport on urgent basis as I didn’t have one. My father went to my school for collecting the relieving certificate, and my principal wrote “Axar” on it and from there on all of my documents have the same spelling.
Hardik to Rahul: How excited are you as you will be in your town?
Rahul:
Honestly, I was in Bangalore before the series started and some of my best friends are not in town, so I’m not over the moon visiting the city. But I’m excited about spending time with my dog, driving my car.