Srinagar: West Indies star batter Nicholas Pooran trilled Team India T20 skipper Hardik Pandya on Instagram after hitting India star for the sixes.
After Hardik Pandya had taken dig at Nicholas Pooran, the West Indian batter gave perfect reply to India star on the field during 5th and deciding T20I Lauderhill, Florida.
Pooran smacked 184 runs in the series to be adjudged the Player of the Series as West Indies gunned down 166 to register their first bilateral series win against India in 17 years. With scores of 41, 67, 20, 1 and 47, India had no answers to Pooran’s assault, and eventually paid the price for testing out a young squad against a team that failed to qualify for last and this year’s World Cup.
Earlier during the post-match presentation ceremony of second T20I, losing captain Hardik laid out to challenge to Pooran, hoping to see if the former West Indies captain could take him on.
“Nicky (Pooran) didn’t come out to bat and that allowed us to keep our pacers back, also allowed Axar to bowl his four overs. If Nicky wants to hit, let him hit me and that was the plan, I enjoy such competition. I know he is going to hear this and will come hard at me in the fourth T20I,” he had said.
And Pooran did exactly same , taking him on he did. Although it wasn’t during Saturday’s game, Pooran ensured he gave a befitting reply to Hardik… first on the ground and then on Instagram.
In the third over of the Windies’ chase, Pooran dished out the perfect revenge as he walloped Hardik for back-to-back sixes, a screenshot of which he shared on his Instagram story. Hardik missed his length, pitching both deliveries right in Pooran’s slot for the swashbuckling batter to smoke one over long on and the next over midwicket. It was Pooran’s third six in four balls.
Pooran then clubbed a fourth six to inch closer to a half-century. But trying to up the tempo, he got out to Tilak Varma giving the India youngster his maiden India wicket when Hardik held on to the catch.