Hardik Pandya becomes first Indian captain to take T20 wicket as visitors school Ireland

It is a day of wins for Pandya as India beat Ireland by 7 wickets in the 1st T20 match of the series.

Skipper Hardik Pandya has also become the first Indian captain to take a wicket in T20 International (T20I) cricket.

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On Sunday, June 26, Hardik Pandya reached this incredible milestone in the first match of a two-match T20I series against Andrew Balbirnie’s Ireland National Cricket Team at The Village, Malahide, Dublin.

Notably, India is led by Hardik Pandya for the first time in his career. In the unavailability of Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul from the team, he was awarded the captaincy.

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Hardik Pandya made his debut as a captain in the Indian Premier League 2022, and he excelled for his side, Gujarat Titans (GT). He also led the Titans to victory in the IPL 2022.

Following his success in the Indian Premier League 2022, he was named Rishabh Pant’s replacement for the five-match T20I series against South Africa, which finished in a 2-2 draw.

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Hardik Pandya entered the game against Ireland to bowl the second over and picked up a huge wicket of top hitter Paul Stirling, who was only able to manage 4 runs off 5 balls.

Hardik threw a little wider length delivery right outside off to Stirling, who went for an on-rise shot but the ball didn’t bounce as much as he thought, and he could only slice it off the bottom of the bat to Deepak Hooda, who sprinted back from mid-off to take the catch.

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Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya was named the 9th T20I captain of the India National Cricket Team today. Prior to Hardik, India’s captains included Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, and Rishabh Pant, however, none of them were able to pick a wicket in T20 Internationals.