IND vs BAN: Not Samson or Varun, THIS 31-year-old player won the Player of the Series award, Surya Kumar was also impressed

New Delhi: India clean-swept Bangladesh by defeating them 3-0 in the three-match T20 series. Team India won the third T20 played in Hyderabad by 133 runs. Sanju Samson scored 111 runs for India, while captain Suryakumar scored a stormy 75 runs. Due to this, India scored 297 runs for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. In reply, Bangladesh’s team could only score 164 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Samson was given the Player of the Match award for his brilliant innings. However, the Player of the Series award was won by 31-year-old star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Hardik celebrated his 31st birthday on Friday, October 11. There could have been no better gift for him than this.

Hardik played all three T20 matches for India and scored a total of 118 runs with the help of 11 fours and eight sixes. He was the second-highest run scorer in the T20 series. During this, his strike rate was 222.64. Samson was above him. Samson scored 150 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 205.48. Hardik’s strike rate was the best in this series. Apart from this, he also got a wicket. In three matches, Hardik bowled seven overs and conceded 58 runs.

In the first match of the series played in Gwalior, Hardik took one wicket for 26 runs in four overs. Apart from this, he was the highest run scorer for India. He played an unbeaten innings of 39 runs in 16 balls. In the second T20 played in Delhi, Hardik came to bat at number six and scored 32 runs in 19 balls. In the third T20, Hardik played a stormy innings of 47 runs in 18 balls. After winning the Player of the Series award, Hardik praised coach Gautam Gambhir a lot. He said that Gambhir gives every player the freedom to play freely.

He said, ‘The kind of freedom the captain and coach have given is great for the whole group. It is so for every player who is in the team. If you can enjoy it, then this is the best way you can get the most out of this game. When the dressing room is enjoying, when everyone is enjoying everyone’s success, then you feel like doing more and more for the team. I think it has contributed a lot. My body is feeling good now. The process continues; nothing changes. When I punched the cover, that is the best shot of my innings.’

The star all-rounder is not a part of the Test series against New Zealand starting October 16 in Bengaluru. He will next be seen in action for India in the four-match T20 series against South Africa. The series will begin in Durban on November 8. At the same time, captain Suryakumar also praised Hardik. He said, ‘We have achieved a lot as a team. I want to have selfless cricketers in my team. We want to be a selfless team. As Hardik said, we want to enjoy each other’s performance on the field, off the field, and spend as much time as possible so that camaraderie is maintained on the field and we are also having fun. The conversation about the team has been like this, Gauti bhai said the same at the beginning of the series and even when we went to Sri Lanka, no one was bigger than the team.

Suryakumar said, ‘If you are on 99 or 49 or whatever score, if you feel you have to hit the ball out of the park for the team, then you have to hit it Sanju did the same and I am really happy for him. We have to be very flexible. Everyone has to contribute. The way our players played in this series was commendable. Just maintain good habits and continue it on the field as well and remain the way you are.