CT2025: Will Hardik 'Clutch' Pandya avenge 2017 final heartbreak with some fireworks at Dubai?

Dubai [UAE], February 22 (ANI): As India takes on Pakistan in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, the Men in Blue's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be one of the players worth watching out for, who has historically brought his absolute A-game and trademark swagger the most against the arch-rivals with both bat and ball.
India is set to lock horns with arch-rivals and host Pakistan in the highly anticipated Champions Trophy clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. The game is a high-stakes battle for both teams, as while Pakistan will try to keep their title defence alive, India will aim to almost confirm its berth in the semis.
The game is also being touted as an opportunity for India to avenge the loss of the 2017 Champions Trophy Final when Virat Kohli's men were deprived of putting their hands on the ICC trophy.
Unlike the 50-over and T20 World Cups, Pakistan holds a 3-2 advantage over India in the Champions Trophy. The most notable encounter remains the 180-run triumph in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, which makes Sunday's game even more exciting for fans from both sides of the border.
If there is one man who can swing the game in an instant with a game-changing flurry of boundaries or a crucial wicket, it is Hardik. Whenever India has had needed someone to pull of a clutch rescue act, they have always had this charismatic, hard-hitting all-rounder to fall back on.
The all-rounder frees his arms effortlessly against Pakistan and does not hesitate sending deliveries of their top bowlers for huge sixes. He also is known to give it back to the arch-rivals with the ball, often making use of his 140 kmph pace capable of flattening any top-class talent.
He boasts of a fine record against Pakistan in seven ODIs he has played, scoring 209 runs in four innings at an average of 69.66, with a strike rate of 132.27. He has scored two half-centuries, with the best score of 87. He has also taken eight wickets at an average of 26.87, with best figures of 2/34.
Here are some of the best performances by Hardik against Pakistan in ODIs:
-87 in the Asia Cup 2023 at Pallekele: This is one of Hardik's top knocks in ODIs. With the team at 66/4 in the Asia Cup 2023 opener, Pandya joined Ishan Kishan to unleash a brilliant counter-attack on Pakistan with a 138-run fifth-wicket stand. Hardik made 87 in 90 balls, with seven fours and a six. This took the team to a respectable total of 266, but the match was washed out due to rain.
-76 in the Champions Trophy 2017 final at Manchester: This particular knock highlights the sheer six-hitting ability and never-give-up attitude that makes Hardik such a valuable asset to the team. With the team at 72/6 during a run-chase of 339, Hardik was not the one starring at the defeat, rather he had his eyes on securing a miracle. For the 43-balls he faced, he gave fans the entertainment and hope that some of their top superstars had failed to give, scoring 76 with four boundaries and six sixes at a strike rate of 176.74. His 80-run partnership and India's hopes crashed after a miscommunication with Ravindra Jadeja led to a runout and India slipped to a 180-run loss, skittling out for 158 runs in 30.3 overs.
-2/34 at ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 at Ahmedabad: The pressure of a home game against arch-rivals was simply not enough to phase a 2023 Indian unit at the peak of its powers. One of the most important players of this unit was Hardik himself, who took 2/34 in six overs at Ahmedabad's jam-packed Narendra Modi Stadium to skittle out Pakistan for 191, which India chased down. The footage of Hardik chanting and whispering something to the ball as if casting a magic mantra on it before dismissing Imam-ul-Haq went viral on social media and sparked many memes. (ANI)